GBI Arrests Jasper Man in Sexual Exploitation of Children Investigation

PICKENS COUNTY, GA – The GBI has arrested and charged James Arthur Puddick, age 29, of Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia, with Sexual Exploitation of Children.

In January 2025, the GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Puddick’s online activity after receiving a Cyber Tipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the possible online possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

This investigation led to Puddick’s subsequent arrest.

The Pickens County Sheriff’s office, the GBI’s Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the GBI’s Special Operations Unit, and Homeland Security Investigations assisted with the investigation and Puddick’s arrest.

Puddick was booked into the Pickens County Jail.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed withinthe GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the trade of child sexual abuse material.

The ICAC Program, created by the US Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.