An Army specialist swept up in a statewide child pornography sting operation in March had his case tossed out Tuesday by a grand jury.
Michael Mayes faced one count of sexual exploitation of children — a charge that stemmed from “Operation Shattered Innocence,” which tracked illegal pornography sent through a computer file-sharing network. His indictment states that he had a digital movie file on March 2 that depicted a minor in explicit sexual conduct.
Mayes was arrested March 10 by Columbus police, who were helped by Fort Benning authorities. Military personnel brought Mayes from his job on post to his home, where police seized a computer.
Mayes waived his preliminary hearing in Columbus Recorder’s Court on March 12. He was given a bond of $2,500, which he later made.
Steven Commander, 21, also was arrested March 10 in connection with the sting. He faces three counts of sexual exploitation of children, though his case hasn’t yet reached a grand jury.
Commander’s mother, Pamela Ritter, was charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana.
Mayes would have faced five to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charge and fines of up to $100,000.
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