Two White County Men Arrested for the Sexual Exploitation of Children

PRESS RELEASE – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit has arrested and charged Jonathan Sells, age 39, of Cleveland, White County, Georgia, and Thomas Walker, age 37, of Helen, White County, Georgia, on October 24, 2024, for sexual exploitation of children in two separate investigations.

In May 2024, the GBI CEACC Unit initiated a proactive investigation into Sells’ online activity. The investigation led to a search warrant of his home and his subsequent arrest on October 24, 2024. Investigators discovered that Sells both possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material. In addition, Sells was charged with destruction of evidence. The White County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations (H.S.I) assisted the GBI CEACC Unit with the arrest of Sells.

In May 2024, the GBI CEACC Unit initiated a proactive investigation into Walker’s online activity. The investigation led to a search warrant of his home and his subsequent arrest on October 24, 2024. Walker was found to be in possession of child sexual abuse material (3 counts). The Helen Police Department assisted the GBI CEACC Unit with the arrest of Walker.

Both men were booked at the White County Jail.

These investigations are part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the 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 U.S. 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.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870 or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.