Ex-Athens cop to be prosecuted in federal court for sexually exploiting child

By Joe Johnson

The United States Department of Justice will be prosecuting a former Athens police officer who allegedly molested female juvenile relatives.

Amber Nicole Ferguson may have broken federal laws by sending videos of the molestation to someone in another country, according to Brad Smith the district attorney in Jackson County, where Ferguson allegedly committed the crimes.

Ferguson was a patrol officer for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department in January when she was charged by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation with two counts of sexual exploitation of children.

According to court records, the 33-year-old officer had taken videos of juvenile female relatives in the shower and also touched them in a sexual manner.

The charges were brought in Jackson County where the incidents reportedly happened, as Ferguson was residing in Commerce at the time.

Smith said he had been informed that federal prosecutors plan to present the case to a grand jury before the end of this year.