A Brooklet man has been sentenced after a November 2024 arrest for Sexual Exploitation of Children.
According to plea work filed with the Bulloch County Clerk of Superior Court, Charles Daniel O’Neal was sentenced on May 9 in a negotiated plea.
Charges
Warrants filed in the Clerk of Court’s office state that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested O’Neal in November 2024 on one count of ‘Possessing or Controlling any material depicting minor in sexually explicit conduct.’ The warrant says O’Neal had a cell phone which contained ‘over 100 images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.’ “O’Neal advised he knew these individuals to be minors,” the warrants read.
The GBI said in press in December that the investigation began in July 2024 after a tip on the Cyber Tipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the possible online possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
A bond was set after roughly a month behind bars in the amount of $50,000. O’Neal was barred from using computers, smart phones, or any other device which could access the internet. He was also ordered to have a psychosexual evaluation conducted by an independent third party.
A grand jury indicted O’Neal in February 2025 on two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children. One count addressed content in image form while the second count addressed content in video form.
Terms of the Plea
O’Neal entered his plea in open court with his attorney, B.J. Fussell, of Kicklighter Law, before Judge Ronald Thompson.
- Count 1 – Sexual Exploitation of Children – 15 years probation – $1,000 fine with add on fees, which include an array of fees for various funds, including a $2,500 fee to be paid to the Safe Harbor Fund. After fees, the total amount owed is $3,955.
- Count 2 – Sexual Exploitation of Children – 15 years probation (concurrent to Count 1)
If all conditions are successfully met for ten years, probation may be terminated early.
- 90-120 days in a Probation Detention Center with credit for time served for the time he spent in the Bulloch County Jail from November 14, 2024 through December 17, 2024.
- Fourth Amendment Waiver, meaning he is subject to searches of his person, residence, vehicle, et. al by probation officers or other law enforcement if they believe O’Neal is violation of his probation or another law
- Subject to random breath, urine, and blood tests for drug and alcohol testing as he is barred from using drugs or alcohol and being in their presence.
- Sex Offender Evaluation at his own expense and must comply with and recommendations made as a result
- Curfew imposed as determined by probation officers
- Sex Offender Special Conditions, including registration as a Sex Offender. The Special Conditions include:
- No contact with anyone under the age of 18
- Cannot reside with anyone under 18
- Employment must be approved by probation officer
- Barred from exposure to any sexually explicit conduct, including adults, via print, websites, television, adult book stores, or any other location
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- Barred from hitchhiking or picking up hitchhikers
O’Neal is also barred from possessing any firearms or ammunition and was required to submit a DNA sample, as is standard for felony adjudications.
O’Neal was taken into custody after his plea and is currently in the Bulloch County Jail awaiting transport to a detention center.
