Pictures of at least two children who live in St. Landry Parish turned up in a Georgia investigation of a man who was taking pictures of kids off social media and using AI to turn them into child pornography.
Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said that his juvenile detectives were contacted after the photos were found.
“The arrested subject did possess social media photos of at least two minors that reside in St. Landry Parish. It is not yet known if these particular photos have been altered in any way, as the investigation in Georgia is ongoing," Guidroze said. “Despite all of the positive ways social media can be utilized, there will always be individuals who intend to pervert the images and information presented for their own illegal use. Parents and guardians must continue to be vigilant in monitoring of social media use and educating our youth on its pitfalls. Should anyone require assistance or guidance on this topic, please reach out to our agency.”
Anyone with additional information about this or any other crime is encouraged to call the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office at 337-948-6516.
You may also call Crime Stoppers at 337-948-TIPS, download the P3 app on your mobile device or simply dial **TIPS on your mobile phone to tip. All calls are anonymous and you can earn a cash reward for information leading to an arrest.
The arrest in question was made back in January by the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office in Ellijay, Georgia.
According to a release from Sheriff Stacy Nicholson, Ronald Richardson was a filling vending machines at Gilmer High School and allegedly asked a student there to send him pictures through a social media app. She thought that wasn't right, and told her school's School Resource Officer about it.
The student told the SRO that she would talk to Richardson on a regular basis when he was at the school and had done so for approximately a year. She stated that Richardson had often given her free soft drinks, but this was the first time she had been asked to send him pictures.
The SRO reported this information to the High School administration and then forwarded the information to the Gilmer Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division. An investigation began at that point and is still very active and ongoing, the sheriff's post states.
Richardson was booked multiple counts of sexual exploitation of children (possession of), and it is anticipated that he could be charged with many other counts of the same. Richardson was still in jail when the sheriff issued the release on January 29.
"This is the first case in which artificial intelligence (AI) has factored into an investigation like this for the Gilmer Sheriff’s Office. Unfortunately, I doubt it will be the last. All of the sexually explicit (nude) photographs of the minor children that Richardson is alleged to have possessed are actually normal snapshots which he captured from various social media pages and then altered (or had altered) using AI to make the images appear nude."
The sheriff's release states that the release of information about his arrest was delayed as the investigation was on-going and because it took so long to identify the minors and reach out to parents.
"....there are several minors and parents who we have not been able to notify at this point. We hope to have all victims and parents notified within the next 48 hrs. We are asking that if anyone has potentially relevant information regarding this case to please contact Detective Dan Farnham at GCSO CID at 706-635-4646," the release states.
