GREENSBORO, Ga. – A 45-year-old Greensboro businessman is being held withheld without bond after he was arrested several days ago on multiple counts of sexual exploitation of children, local authorities say.
The arrest of the man stems from an investigation that began back in May.
Greene County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Capt Lee Stancill identified the suspect as Brandon Lee Manning, who had been living in the Charity Drive neighborhood of Greensboro.
Manning, who reportedly is affiliated with a swimming pool business, is specifically charged with eight counts of sexual exploitation of children, according to Capt. Stancill, who is the lead investigator.
Capt. Stancill said Manning was taken into custody at his residence Nov. 14 without incident. Manning’s arrest stemmed from an ongoing criminal investigation that has been underway by investigators with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for the past several months.
A search warrant was executed at the residence of the suspect back in May, according to the investigator.
Capt. Stancill said during that time, he and other sheriff’s office investigators seized more than a dozen electronic devices from the residence.
The lead investigator said the seizure of the electronic devices came as the result of a tip that potentially explicit images were being accessed from the residence.
“After conducting examinations of each of these devices, several hundred images of suspected child pornography were found,” Capt. Stancill said.
Capt. Stancill said since the case was pending prosecution, he would not be able to discuss exactly what prompted the investigation.
Manning who previously had been a registered sex offender in Greene County was removed from the list in 2009 after he completed certain requirements, Capt. Stancill said.
Manning appeared before Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Terry N. Massey on Monday morning in Greene County Superior Court and was denied bond in the case. Manning was represented by his defense attorney, Mo Wiltshire during the brief hearing before the judge.
Capt. Stancill said during the course of the investigation that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) had provided certain records, but that all digital forensics had been performed by him in his lab with equipment provided him by U.S. Secret Service.
Capt. Stancill, who also works with the Electronic Crimes Task Force out of the U.S. Secret Service field office in Atlanta explained that the federal agency provides him all the equipment, his training, as well as his training and support for work he does when it comes to computers and mobile devices.
