GBI Press Release: On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC) executed a search warrant at the residence of Ronald Mike Sanford, 71, in Byron, Peach County, GA. An investigation into Sanford’s internet activity by the GBI’s CEACC Unit began after a report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to the sexual exploitation of children by Sanford via the internet. This investigation led to a search warrant of Sanford’s residence in Peach County, GA. As a result of the investigation, Sanford was arrested and charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography. The GBI CEACC unit was assisted in this investigation by the Peach County Sheriff’s Office and the GBI Region 13 Field Office. Sanford was booked into the Peach County Jail.
This investigation is 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 child pornography trade and the online sexual exploitation of children. 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 pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.
Anyone with information about this case or any other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870. 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.
