40 Arrests In Child Porn Raids In 34 Counties

Police from multiple departments raided locations in 34 counties across Georgia Tuesday morning in a crackdown on a suspected Internet child pornography ring, the GBI confirmed. Police have made 40 arrests.

John Bankhead of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the operation was code-named Operation Restore Hope.

”This state-wide endeavor includes 24 local agencies, four federal agencies (FBI, ICE, the Secret Service and U. S. Postal Service), the three U. S. Attorneys’ Offices in Georgia (Northern, Middle and Southern Districts) and the Georgia attorney general’s office," Bankhead said in a release.

SLIDESHOW: Child Porn Investigation

william noletto IM William Noletto William Noletto

Bankhead said the raids came after a three month investigation led by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Officials said 88 search warrants were executed Tuesday in Georgia in connection with the distribution of child porn over the Internet.

Paulding County officials released information about two arrests there. As a result of this joint investigation, William Noletto of Douglasville was arrested following the execution of a search warrant at his home and charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to Paulding County Sheriff's Office officials. During the search, images of suspected child porn were found on his computer, police said. The investigation is ongoing. Noletto is currently in the custody of the Paulding County Detention Center. Bond has not been set.

Danny Harden of Hiram was also arrested following the execution of a search warrant at his home and charged with one count of possession of marijuana, Paulding County Sheriff's Office officials said. During the search, images of suspected child porn were found on a computer in the home, police said. Harden is currently in the custody of the Paulding County Detention Center. Bond has not been set.

danny harden IM Danny Harden Danny Harden

Also in Paulding County, a third search warrant was served at a home on Kelley Court in Dallas. During the search, images of suspected child porn were found on a computer in the home. An arrest has not yet been made in this case. The investigation is ongoing.

"In addition, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Houston County Sheriff’s Office, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Cobb County Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, LaGrange Police Department, Port Wentworth Police Department, Smyrna Police Department and the Warner Robins Police Department also located targets in Georgia involved in the Internet child porn trade," said Bankhead.

Raids were taking place in the following locations:

Butts County

Charlton County

Cherokee County

Clayton County

Cobb County

Columbia County

Columbus

DeKalb County

Dougherty County

Douglas County

Forsyth County

Gwinnett County

Hall County

Houston County

Liberty County

Lowndes County

Lagrange

Paulding County

Port Wentworth

Richmond County

Smyrna

Warner Robins