Kenneth James Gauthier
Staff
Reports
Kenneth James Gauthier, 35, was arrested on Monday, Aug. 5 after a Clay County Grand Jury handed down indictments charging him with eight felony counts of second-degree exploitation of a minor.
Gauthier was arrested by Cherokee County authorities at his residence and transferred to the Clay County Jail. He is currently confined with no bond. He is scheduled to appear in Clay County Superior Court on Monday, Sept. 23.
The arrest is the cumulation of a long investigation that began after a device was found in a roadway by a concerned citizen who turned it into the sheriff’s office. Pursuant to a search warrant, the device was forensically examined and the owner of the device was determined to be Gauthier, according to a release from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
The examination of the device confirmed that there were pornographic images of prepubescent children downloaded on it.
Gauthier was interviewed by investigators with Clay and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Offices during which Gauthier admitted to ownership of the device and its contents.