Cartersville sex offender sentenced on child pornography charges

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (WDEF) — A Cartersville man will serve ten years in prison for possessing child pornography, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

A judge sentenced Jerry Joseph Southern on Thursday for having “thousands of digital images and videos depicting the rape and sexual abuse of children.” This includes minors under the age of 12, according to the DOJ.

Southern previously pleaded guilty to possession of this material on December 19, 2023.

Federal and local law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant on Southern’s home in July 2023. Agents then found a cellphone hidden in an air vent that revealed Southern received, collected and distributed child sex abuse materials, the DOJ explained.

In addition, authorities said Southern was already a convicted sex offender. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

At that point, the DOJ said Southern was on probation after serving an unspecified prison term. “But he repeatedly violated the terms of his probation, resulting in additional terms of incarceration in 2014, 2019, and 2020,” they added.

After Southern serves ten years in prison, he will have a lifetime of supervised release. A judge also ordered him to pay $28,500 in restitution.

“Stopping those like Southern that victimize children by viewing and sharing these horrific images of children is one of our highest priorities,” said Acting Special Agent in charge Anthony J. Patrone who oversees Homeland Security Investigations operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Thanks to the great work done by our agents, along with our state, local and federal partners, we were able to remove a serious threat from our community and we will continue to pursue those who commit these evil acts.”