A former teacher at Cherokee Charter Academy and her husband were recently arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on charges of sexual exploitation of children, the GBI announced.
On Dec. 29, William Sandridge, 42, and Allyn Sandridge, 41, of Gordon County, were arrested and each charged with eight counts of sexual exploitation of children by the GBI's Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit.
Allyn Sandridge was formerly a teacher at Cherokee Charter Academy near Holly Springs.
According to the GBI, the agency's CEACC Unit and Homeland Security Investigations began a joint investigation into the Sandridges' online activity after receiving a report in reference to their online activity. This investigation led to a search warrant of the Sandridges’ home and their subsequent arrests.
The Sandridges were taken to the Gordon County Jail upon their arrest. As of Thursday, they remained in custody, according to the jail's website.
A spokesperson for the charter school said that Allyn Sandridge is no longer an employee there, but declined to comment further.
According to the GBI, the CEACC unit was assisted in executing the search warrant by the Calhoun Police Department, the Polk County Police Department, and the United States Secret Service.
This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children 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.
Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation 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 gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.