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GBI: Volunteer coach charged with soliciting explicit photos from kids

WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — A volunteer coach is facing criminal charges after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said he asked boys to send him explicit photos in exchange for cash.

The GBI said a mother came forward after checking her son's Facebook page. The mother said she found a message from Michael Clay asking her son to send photos of himself. The situation led to GBI's investigation of the 25-year-old, whom they said abused his position as a volunteer basketball coach at Loganville High School to solicit lewd photos from boys on the team.

Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh spoke to GBI agent Sherry Lang Monday about what the mother saw.

"When she checked the Facebook account, she saw where the child had been contacted by Mr. Clay, and Mr. Clay had asked the child to send him some explicit pictures," Lang said.

Lang said Clay claimed his request had to do with some kind of bet he had going.

She said Clay offered the boy $20 in exchange for the photos.

Investigators said they found evidence that Clay contacted several boys through social media and text messages.

Clay turned turned himself in to the Walton County jail Thursday. He has been charged with six counts of child exploitation.

"Three of those counts involve where children have actually sent pictures to Mr. Clay, and three were just [that] he had made solicitations for the photographs," Lang said.

Walton County School District officials said Clay is no longer a volunteer for the district. But they wouldn't tell Kavanaugh when they first learned about the allegations.

The district sent the following statement:

"Michael Brandon Clay was a volunteer in the 2011-2012 schoolyear with the Loganville High School basketball program. His status as a volunteer was terminated on October 30, 2012. He has not been affiliated with Walton County Public Schools since that time."

The GBI said Clay volunteered with more than 20 boys, any of whom he could have victimized.

Investigators said there's evidence that he did pay for some of these pictures.