Lula man charged with sexual exploitation…

UPDATE: Thursday, September 5, 2024 – 9:45 AM

Hall County Sheriff’s detectives are adding more than 160 counts of child sexual exploitation to the case against a recently arrested Lula man who was already facing similar charges.

Hall County officials say 62-year-old Michael Reid Perkins is being held without bail today following his initial arrest in early August on six counts of child exploitation via images and videos found on electronic devices recovered from Perkins’ River Station Drive home. A news release issued Thursday said further forensic processing of electronic devices seized from his residence revealed more of the explicit images.

Investigators began their investigation in June after receiving the first cybertip in the case from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). HCSO received assistance in the investigation from the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).

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Original Story: August 1, 2024

A man from Lula has been charged with six counts of child sexual exploitation. The investigation, which began in June, is still ongoing.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, arrested Michael Reid Perkins, 62, on Aug. 1 after executing a search warrant at his River Station Drive home. During the search, investigators reportedly seized multiple electronic devices from the residence.

Preliminary details of the investigation indicate that Perkins downloaded at least six files containing child abuse material between December 2023 and the time of his arrest.

The investigation began after the agency received a cyber tip in the case from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Additional charges could be filed pending forensic processing of the seized electronics and further investigation.

Perkins remained in the Hall County Jail without bail.