Hall County man arrested for possession of child sexual abuse material

HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Investigators from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office recently issued warrants for a Hall County man accused of possessing and sharing multiple videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) earlier this year.

Blake Lawrence Edwards, 32, a resident of Walnut Grove Way in northern Hall County, is facing 108 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. These charges include two counts for distributing two videos of CSAM via a peer-to-peer file-sharing platform and 106 counts for possessing videos of CSAM on two external hard drives found at his residence.

The investigation into Edwards began in March when authorities became aware of his online activity involving the sharing of CSAM videos. On May 14, investigators executed search warrants at his home, seizing multiple electronic devices, including the hard drives containing the illegal content. Edwards was not present at the residence during the search.

Blake Lawrence Edwards

Authorities have stated that there is no evidence to suggest that any of the CSAM was produced locally.

Edwards was arrested last Friday in Hall County. He is currently being held in the Hall County Jail on no bond. 

According to Gwinnett Daily Post, Edwards was a teacher at Mountain View High School. Gwinnett school officials reportedly told the Gwinnett Daily Post that he resigned just 9 days after the sheriff's office executed its search warrants. He was hired by MVHS on July 24, 2023. 

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Hall County Dispatch at 770-536-8812.