Grovetown man sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for producing child pornography

A Columbia County man was recently sentenced to nearly 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to producing child sexual abuse images.

Hector Salazar Torres, 30, of Grovetown, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison after pleading guilty to producing child pornography, according to a news release from Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Federal District Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Torres to pay $9,600 in restitution and assessment, register as a sex offender and serve 20 years of supervised release at the end of his prison sentence, according to the release. There is no parole in the federal system.

“We applaud the diligence of our law enforcement partners in identifying Hector Torres and holding him accountable,” Steinberg said. “Our community’s most vulnerable citizens are safer when predators are behind bars.”

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According to the statement, Grovetown police were investigating a child sexual assault when they seized Torres’ cellphone. The FBI examined the contents of the phone and identified dozens of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including a video of a young child.

By matching a frame from the video to a scar on Torres’ hand, investigators determined that Torres had produced the video with his phone, the statement said. Torres also faces charges of sexual assault of a minor involving victims unrelated to the federal case.

Anyone with information about suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678 or at https://report.cybertip.org/.

This article was originally published on Augusta Chronicle: Grovetown man sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for child pornography