An 18-year-old Gainesville man is facing sex crimes charges in two unrelated cases, according to the Hall County Sheriff's Office.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested Fenton Leander Potter on Friday, June 25 and charged him with 22 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Sheriff's Office spokesman Derreck Booth said the investigation into the exploitation case began the week prior to Potter's arrest.
"Agents began the investigation on Friday, June 18, after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)," Booth said in an email statement. "According to preliminary details, between March 24 and 25, 2021, Potter possessed at least 11 images of child pornography on an electronic device when he transferred the images to his Tumblr account."
Booth said prior to the arrest on June 25, Fenton had been arrested on June 21 on charges of statutory rape and electronic exploitation of a minor. He had been released from jail on bond for those crimes.
"According to initial details of the earlier case, between June 1, 2020, and Jan. 30, 2021, Potter engaged in sexual intercourse on multiple occasions with the female victim who was under the age of 16," Booth said. "In the course of the statutory rape inquiry, investigators obtained a search warrant for Potter’s phone. During preliminary processing of the device, detectives located two pornographic videos involving children."
Booth said investigators continue to process electronic devices seized from Potter's residence, and additional charges are possible pending the results of the forensic processing.
Potter was released from the Hall County Jail on Saturday, June 26 on $45,500 bond for the exploitation charges.
