A 53-year-old Collin County man arrested Thursday, March 26, in Collin County following a Hopkins County investigation into child pornography allegations, has been served with two warrants for alleged child sex crimes in Hopkins County and has a federal hold related to the investigation as well, according to Collin County jail reports.
Christopher Hardesty was taken into custody at his residence for alleged possession of child pornography and online solicitation of a minor for sexual conduct, according to Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office investigators and Collin County jail reports. Hardesty has subsequently been served with Hopkins County warrants for sexual assault of a child and sexual performance by a child.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s investigators, while collecting forensics evidence in ongoing investigations, located videos of suspected child pornography that, based on evidence, appears to have been produced in Hopkins County, according to a HCSO press release following Hardesty’s arrest in Collin County.
A suspect was reportedly developed with further investigation and legal process. A search warrant was obtained for a residence in Collin County, HCSO officials reported.
Plano Police Department, Collin County District Attorney’s Investigator and a federal partners assisted Hopkins County sheriff’s officers in serving the search warrant at the Collin County residence, according to HCSO reports.
Based on evidence discovered during the investigation and execution of the search warrant, Christopher W. Hardesty was taken into custody at his Collin County residence and booked into Collin County jail Thursday, March 26, according to an HCSO press release. Investigators then obtained warrants for his arrest on two Hopkins County child sex warrants
Hardesty remained in Collin County jail Friday morning, April 3, in lieu of $305,000 bond on the charges: $100,000 bond each on the two second-degree felony Collin County charges; and $75,000 on the Hopkins County second degree felony sexual assault of a child charge and $30,000 on the third-degree felony sexual performance by a child charge, according to Collin County jail reports.
