COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Investigators say 41-year-old Cobb County man was arrested for sharing graphic sexual images of children with animals. John Fordham was charged with bestiality, sexual exploitation of a child, and distribution of child pornography.
According to a warrant, the investigators came across the Snapchat account in January. The email and phone number associated with that account led investigators to Fordham.
The warrant states the images shared on the account depicted underage girls engaged in sexual acts with dogs. During a search of his Marietta Crossing apartment, investigators say they found those images on his hard drive.
The warrant also states there were at least four videos found on a flash drive showing Fordham engaging in sexual activity with a dog.
Fordham was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
The teenager, from Milton, has been referred to the Saratoga County probation department on three charges: making a threat of mass harm, falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, and providing a false written statement, all misdemeanors.
The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the situation on Sunday, when a resident called to report that their son had received a Snapchat message threatening a school shooting in the Ballston Spa Central School District.
The call came in at 8:15 p.m. That night, investigators identified the person who sent the message and determined that he did not have the means to carry out the threat, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
On Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office announced that the 14-year-old had been charged.
Kathleen grew up in Glenville and now lives in Schenectady. She has covered the Capital Region for various newspapers since 2000, focusing on the interesting people who breathe life into their towns, villages and cities. She is the Times Union's education reporter.