A Cartersville man with a history of sex offenses has been slapped with a decade behind bars after amassing a disturbing trove of child pornography, authorities announced yesterday. Jerry Joseph Southern, already on the sex offender registry, plead guilty in December to possession of explicit images of minors and was handed a ten-year sentence, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
“This office remains committed to working with our state and local partners to identify and prosecute individuals who commit heinous crimes against minors,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement.
Federal agents tipped off to Southern’s illicit activities, seized a cell phone from an air vent at his residence in July 2023 that contained a massive volume of child sex abuse materials. Southern had previously been convicted of sexual exploitation of a child and ended up back in the slammer in 2014, 2019, and 2020 for probation violations.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony J. Patrone said, “Stopping those like Southern that victimize children by viewing and sharing these horrific images of children is one of our highest priorities,” The conviction results from collaborative efforts by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, and several other agencies.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide drive launched by the Attorney General in 2006 aimed at protecting kids from online predators. Southern will also be lightening his wallet, as he’s been ordered to pay restitution for $28,500.00.
