A man arrested for possessing and distributing child pornography is expected to be brought to Effingham County next week to face a charge of sexual exploitation of a child.

Edward Holmes, 52, of Savannah was arrested in Montgomery County, Va., on June 14 after he fled Chatham County, according to investigators. Holmes waived extradition during a court appearance in Virginia, and Effingham County Sheriff’s Office deputies are expected to pick him up in the next few days, said ECSO spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor.

Once he is brought back to Georgia, Holmes will have a bond hearing on the sexual exploitation of a child charge. The case remains under investigation and Holmes may face more charges, Ehsanipoor said.

According to the ECSO’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Holmes was downloading and sharing child pornography while living at the Quail Run Lodge, an extended stay hotel off Dean Forest Road in Chatham County. The task force investigates crimes against children across several counties.

Investigators discovered that someone had been using the hotel’s IP address for several weeks to download and share images of child pornography, and they traced the computer being used to Holmes’ room. The task force searched the room and found “several explicit images and videos of child pornography with children under 10 years of age” on Holmes’ laptop computer, Ehsanipoor said.

Holmes had been living in the Savannah area for about three months while working as a manager of a funeral home, according to Ehsanipoor.

Search continues for bank robbery suspect
Authorities continue to look for the man who robbed the First Effingham Bank on Highway 21 in Rincon Monday afternoon.

"We continue to work with (Rincon Police) Chief (Phillip) Scholl to follow all leads," said Gene Kowel, supervisor of the Savannah FBI office.

The suspect is described as a black male, about 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. According to investigators, the man was wearing a mask, cowboy hat and orange vest when he robbed the bank around 2:15 p.m. Monday.

The man brandished a large, silver firearm to the bank tellers. He made off with an undisclosed amount of money and fled to the parking lot, where he may have gotten into a car.

Customers were leaving the building as the gunman walked in and four employees were on duty, Scholl said. No one was hurt in the incident.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the ECSO at 754-3449, the Rincon Police at 826-5200 or the Savannah FBI office at 232-3716.