Around the Region: Escaped Inmate Still on the Loose, Child Porn Charges and Pedestrian Struck by Van

Sheriff: Leads Indicate Inmate Who Walked Away from Work Detail Got Ride Out of County

An inmate who walked away from a work detail Nov. 12 is still at large. 

The Athens Banner-Herald reports Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said leads show the inmate, 22-year-old Ross Eugene Hilmo of Auburn, secured a ride out of the county. Hilmo was jailed at the Barrow County Detention Center facing drug charges. 

“He may have flagged someone down or got to a phone. We don’t know," Smith told the newspaper.

Read more on Barrow Patch.

Kennesaw Man Arraigned on Child Porn Charges - Kennesaw Patch

A Kennesaw man was arraigned in federal court in Atlanta on Monday on charges of production and possession of child pornography.

Benjamin Sanders, 55, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 13. He is being held without bond.

According to a news release, after receiving information that Sanders had taken sexually explicit photographs of a minor, investigators from the Cobb County Police Department obtained a search warrant for Sanders’ residence. When law enforcement executed the search warrant last December, they found computer hard drives belonging to Sanders that contained sexually explicit images of numerous children, including several pictures allegedly taken by Sanders.

Read more on Kennesaw Patch.

Man Struck and Killed by Van on Highway 9 - Cumming Patch

A man who was walking across Hwy. 9 (Atlanta Highway) in south Forsyth on Friday evening was struck by a van and later died, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.

Forsyth Traffic Specialist Investigator Ron Tomblin said in a press release that Escorcia was crossing Hwy. 9 near Pine Ridge Mobile Home Park where he lived. As he was walking in the southbound lane, he was struck by a 2004 Chevrolet van that was traveling southbound.

More details available on Cumming Patch.