A Gainesville woman is in the Hall County Jail and facing charges after she was arrested Thursday in an online child pornography investigation.
According to a press release from the Hall County Sheriff's Office, Maria Gomez-Lucas, 21, is accused of possessing and distributing at least one video on her Facebook account showing the sexual abuse of a child.
The release states the Sheriff's Office and Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation started on Feb. 16, when agents received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
An initial investigation found that Gomez-Lucas allegedly possed the video on July 19, 2020. The video was distributed via Facebook Messenger. No evidence was found indicating that the video was produced locally or involved local victims.
Investigators executed a search warrant on Gomez-Lucas' home in the 1,100 block of Cooley Drive in Gainesville Thursday, where they seized several of her electronic devices. According to the release, additional charges are possible, based on the outcome of forensic processing of the seized electronics.
Gomez-Lucas faces two felony counts each of electronic exploitation of a minor and remained in the Hall County Jail as of Friday afternoon.
