A Gainesville man is being held without bond at the Hall County Jail after investigators acting on a cybertip found child sexual abuse materials at his home.
Hall County Sheriff's Office spokesman Derreck Booth said investigators have charged Martin Santillan, 57, with six counts of electronic exploitation of a minor and one count of second-degree forgery; all of the charges are felonies.
Booth said a preliminary investigation this past July turned up three images of child pornography on Santillan's electronic devices. He said the suspect also uploaded the photos onto his Facebook Messenger account to send to another user.
This week, the investigation was expanded to include Santillan's residence.
"During the investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, deputies executed a search warrant at Martin Santillan’s home in the 3000 block of Poplar Springs Road," Booth wrote in an email statement. "During the Wednesday search, deputies seized Santillan’s electronic devices and a counterfeit Georgia Driver’s License in his possession."
Booth said it is possible additional charges could be levied after forensic processing of Santillan’s electronics.
"There is no evidence indicating the images were produced locally or involved local victims," Booth said.
