Peach County, GA – A Peach County jury has convicted Benjamin Frank Smith of 18 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children following a five-hour deliberation on Thursday, October 16, 2025, bringing justice for multiple child victims identified in disturbing videos found on two of his devices.
Smith, a Byron resident, was arrested on March 14, 2018, after an undercover operation by Georgia’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force identified him as a person of interest. Law enforcement secured a search warrant for Smith’s home after remotely downloading child pornography from his laptop through a peer-to-peer file sharing site commonly used by offenders to distribute such illegal material.
The subsequent search of Smith’s residence uncovered two devices containing 18 different videos and more than nine hours of child sexual content depicting multiple prepubescent child victims, both male and female, including children who appeared to be elementary school aged. Smith admitted during questioning that the devices belonged to him, although his defense at trial was that there was no evidence to prove he knew the content was on these devices.
“This conviction represents our unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community,” said District Attorney Anita Howard. “The exploitation of children is among the most heinous crimes we prosecute, and this verdict sends a clear message that those who possess and distribute child pornography will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The trial began Monday, October 13, with jury selection and closing arguments began Thursday morning before the jury was given the case to deliberate. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Taylor Wilson and Assistant District Attorney Lauren Brock. Critical testimony came from seasoned law enforcement experts representing agencies across the state: Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Special Agent John Harrell, Sgt. Jeffrey Roe of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, and Lt. Darin Meadows of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, who collectively bring more than 90 years of combined experience in investigating crimes against children.
Smith was taken into custody immediately following the reading of the guilty verdict. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 360 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
