Two Macon residents arrested after GBI child exploitation investigation
Scott Howard faces sexual exploitation and child cruelty charges, while Sally Howard is charged with second-degree cruelty to children.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- A Macon man faces two counts of sexual exploitation of children, and a Macon woman faces a child cruelty charge, after a GBI investigation led agents to search a home in the city.
The GBI charged Scott Howard, 42, with two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of second-degree cruelty to children. Sally Howard, 37, is charged with one count of second-degree cruelty to children.
The agency did not say what investigators found during the search or explain what led to the child cruelty charges.
Investigation began in April
The GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit began an investigation in April 2026 into the online possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
According to the GBI, the investigation led agents to a home in Macon. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the home, leading to the arrests of Scott and Sally Howard.
Both were arrested Sept. 14 and booked into the Bibb County Jail.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Houston County Sheriff’s Office, GBI Special Operations Unit, and additional members of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted with the investigation.
How to submit information
The investigation is part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’s ongoing effort to identify people involved in the trade of child sexual abuse material. The task force is housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit.
Anyone with information about other child exploitation cases can contact the GBI unit at 404-270-8870 or submit information through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), using the GBI’s online tip form, or downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
