Houston County man convicted for possession of child sexual abuse material, methamphetamine

HOUSTON COUNTY — Bryan Travis Santiago, 43, pled guilty in the Houston County Superior Court to two separate cases on Monday, Dec. 8. He was sentenced to a total of 30 years, with the first 10 years to be served in prison, according to a press release from the Houston County District Attorney’s Office.

As part of Santiago’s probation, he will have sex offender conditions as well as drug offender conditions. Upon his release from prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender. The Houston County Sheriff’s Office investigated both cases. 

The first case Santiago pled guilty to stems from a traffic stop that occurred in August 2022. Sheriff’s office deputies stopped Santiago after he was observed not wearing a seatbelt. Santiago consented to a search during the traffic stop, where Sgt. Paul Cumpton found methamphetamine and distribution paraphernalia.

The second case Santiago pled guilty to stems from a tip received by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) division. 

ICAC discovered peer-to-peer sharing of suspected child pornography using an IP address associated with Santiago’s address. Sgt. Gary Andrews was assigned the case and obtained a search warrant for the residence. 

When he searched Santiago’s residence, he found multiple electronic devices. Those devices were then sent to Lt. Darin Meadows, who downloaded their contents and discovered multiple images containing child sexual abuse material. 

Assistant District Attorney Mike Smith and Assistant District Attorney Justin Duane prosecuted the case. Duane commented on the sentencing. 

“If you download and share naked pictures of little kids, our law enforcement will find out. Mr. Santiago was found out and will spend the next ten years of his life in prison and the rest of his life on the sex offender registry.

“Although we do not believe that Mr. Santiago personally knew any of the children in the photos, a child is victimized every time their picture is viewed. Thank you to G.B.I. and the Sheriff’s Office for helping discover this heinous behavior and getting Mr. Santiago off the street,” Duane said. 

District Attorney Eric Edwards also provided comments: 

“These two cases taken together paint a troubling but important picture of why aggressive, coordinated law enforcement work matters. Mr. Santiago was not only dealing dangerous narcotics in our community, but was also actively participating in the exploitation of children through the possession and sharing of child sexual abuse material. These are precisely the kinds of offenders who pose a serious and ongoing threat to public safety. 

“I want to commend the Houston County Sheriff’s Office for their diligent investigative work in both the narcotics and ICAC components of this case, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their critical role in identifying and referring the child exploitation activity for prosecution. I am also proud of the work of Assistant District Attorneys Justin Duane and Mike Smith in securing a substantial prison sentence and lifetime registration requirements that will continue to protect this community long after Mr. Santiago’s release. 

“Let this case serve as a clear warning: whether the crime involves drugs, the exploitation of children, or both, our office and our law enforcement partners will pursue it relentlessly and hold offenders fully accountable.”