Two men remained behind bars today and a third was let out with an extremely low bond for medical reasons after they were arrested on Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into images of child sexual exploitation found on devices in their possession.
Detective B. Brady of the Polk County Police – also a member of the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force – was provided information by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation recently about three men in Polk County who had accessed inappropriate and illegal images of children, and in at least two cases had uploaded them back to cloud storage or sites that distribute those images.
Brady said that reports were provided via cybertips from the GBI and internet service providers and that the suspects in the case ultimately admitted to wrongdoing during their arrests when taken into custody on May 5, 2021.
Dacoda Lee Hughes, 24, of 107 Robinson Watts Road, Cedartown, faces 66 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children – possess or control any materials depicting minor in sexually explicit images or materials along with a probation violation. Police tracked him across several locations until finally finding him at a friend’s house on Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. and taking him into custody. After being taken to the Polk County Jail and processed, Hughes was denied bond on all the charges.
During the arrest, Brady reported that Hughes admitted he knew what police were asking about, and electronic devices in his possession were confiscated. He could face more charges, Brady said, as the investigation continues.
Police know for sure that Hughes had uploaded images back online to a storage site where others could find it.
So did Stephen Alexander Griffin, 34, of 252 Portland Road, Aragon. According to Brady, cybertips from Griffin’s internet service provider gave him up to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who passed the info along to the detective for further investigation.
Griffin is alleged to have also included his phone number on accounts used to track him online, which allowed Brady to gather the appropriate evidence in a quick fashion and make an arrest. During his arrest on Wednesday at 11:15 a.m., Griffin’s phone was also taken and with other devices in hand police might have additional charges to file.
He already faces dozens of counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children – possess or control any materials depicting minor in sexually explicit images or materials, and his bond was denied after being processed in the Polk County Jail on Wednesday.
The third suspect arrested, Keen Blaine Mabry, 25, of 1557 Lees Chapel Road, Cedartown, faces at least 12 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children – possess or control any materials depicting minor in sexually explicit images or materials and was processed out of the Polk County Jail on Wednesday after his 9 a.m. arrest.
According to Brady, his accounts online also included his phone number was flagged by the ISP for sharing illegal content. Police searched his home and found his phone, and he admitted to viewing and accessing the images and uploading them to cloud-based storage.
Due to a pre-existing medical condition Mabry has, his bond was set low enough for him to be allowed out of the Polk County Jail to receive proper treatment.
Brady was thankful for the help of the Department of Community Services and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their aid in the investigation and arrest of the three suspects on Wednesday.
Check back for further updates as they become available on additional charges.
