GBI charges Columbia County man with sexual exploitation of children

A 72-year-old Columbia County man was recently arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit and charged with the sexual exploitation of nearly half a dozen children.

Harold Sinclair, 72, of Columbia County, is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of children, according to a news release from the GBI. He was booked into the Columbia County jail on Friday.

The GBI CEACC Unit started an investigation into Sinclair's online activity after receiving several tips reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about possible online possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the release.

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The investigation led to a search warrant of Sinclair's home and subsequent criminal charges, according to the release. The Georgia Cybercrimes Center and Columbia County Sheriff's Office aided the GBI CEACC Unit in the execution of the search warrant.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation 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.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Columbia County man charged with sexually exploiting children