Forsyth Man Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges Following Federal Tip Investigation

Monroe County, GA – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has arrested a 23-year-old Forsyth resident on multiple felony charges related to child sexual abuse material.

Billy Joe Landon Hopper, of Forsyth in Monroe County, was taken into custody on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, and booked into the Monroe County Jail. He faces three counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, one count of Obstruction, and one count of Tampering with Evidence.

The investigation began in June 2025 when the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit received a Cyber Tipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The report alleged that Hopper was involved in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material through his online activity.

GBI agents, with assistance from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Milledgeville, and the GBI Cyber Crime Center, conducted the probe. This case is part of the broader efforts by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which operates within the GBI’s CEACC Unit to combat the online trade and distribution of such material.

Authorities have not released additional details about the specific evidence or the scope of the alleged activity. All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation CEACC Unit at 404-270-8870 or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at Cybertipline.org. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.