BURKE COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) – A Burke County man has been sentenced to federal prison after investigators discovered a massive cache of images of sexually exploited children on devices in his possession.

Jason Bonds Connelly, 61, of Waynesboro, Ga., was sentenced to 110 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Child Pornography.

Connelly is also ordered to pay a fine and assessment of $2,000, and to register as a sex offender and serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.  

In 2022, Investigators from the GBI and the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office were conducting an online investigation into network sharing of images of child pornography. They discovered an account with nearly 60,000 files believed to contain images of child sexual abuse, and the investigation led them to Connelly’s residence.

During a search of that home, investigators found images of child sexual exploitation, including images depicting sadistic and masochistic sexual contact between adults and children.

The GBI identified Connelly’s internet address as one of the top offenders in the state of Georgia for sharing child sexual abuse material.