Upson County Man Arrested for the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Thomaston, GA (May 22, 2024) – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit arrested and charged John Howard Booker, age 30, of Upson County, Georgia, with eight counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Booker’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 a search warrant at Booker’s home in 2023. After further investigation, investigators obtained arrest warrants for Booker in 2024.   

Booker turned himself in to the Upson County Jail on May 15, 2024.    

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 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 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.