A Commerce woman and former Athens-Clarke County Police Officer has now been indicted on charges related to allegations she produced child pornography and bestiality images.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 9, saying that Amber Nicole Ferguson, age 34, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tyesday, Dec. 2 and then arraigned on Thursday, Dec. 4 on charges of production and attempted production of child sexual abuse material, possession of child sexual abuse material involving a minor under the age of 12 and production of obscene material.
The case started when family members of the children who were allegedly exploited reported suspicions to the Commerce Police Department. Commerce Police then requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) assistance in the investigation, starting in December 2024. Ferguson would then turn herself in to the Jackson County Jail on Jan. 15, 2025.
Ferguson had been employed by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department starting in December 2023, but was placed on administrative leave during the initial investigation and then ultimately terminated on January 14, 2025.
The Attorney’s Office said that while investigators were looking into the alleged child pornography, they then discovered other obscene content in Ferguson’s possession.
“As the investigation continued, images involving horse and dog bestiality allegedly possessed by Ferguson were discovered as well,” the Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “The indictment alleges that Ferguson produced the bestiality images and child sex abuse material.”
GBI Director Chris Hosey, in a statement, called Ferguson’s alleged acts “vile.”
“When the offender is someone who swore an oath to protect the public and uphold the law, it is an even deeper violation,” Hosey said.
If convicted of production or attempted production of child sexual abuse material, Ferguson could face a minimum of 15 years in prison, according to the Attorney’s Office. The case is also part of an initiative by the Attorney General called Project Safe Childhood, which aims to protect children from online exploitation.
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