Man, 81, allegedly found in possession of child pornography

An 81-year-old man who allegedly had evidence of child pornography on his computer appeared in Columbus Recorder’s Court this morning.

Joseph Anthony Hatchett of Columbus, who was represented by attorney Mark Shelnutt, pleaded not guilty to the sexual exploitation of children and waived his preliminary hearing to Superior Court.

Columbus Police Sgt. Jeff Kraus declined to comment on how officials were made aware of the sexual exploitation in March 2015, but he stated that it prompted them to obtain a search warrant for the defendant’s computer.

Police said the computer was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for processing and returned about a year later. It showed evidence of child porn that led detectives to issue an arrest warrant for Hatchett on Feb. 3., Kraus told the court.

Hatchett was taken into custody at 10 a.m. Saturday at his Chatham Woods Court home and booked into the Muscogee County Jail.

Shelnutt requested that Judge Mary Buckner grant his client an own recognizance bond, stating that the man has ties to the community as a decorated veteran who retired from the military after 27 years of service.

“He’s certainly not going anywhere,” Shelnutt told the judge.

Buckner said she agreed to grant an own recognizance bond of $5,000, because Hatchett doesn’t have a criminal history.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Man, 81, allegedly found in possession of child pornography."