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Man arrested under new privacy law
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A Dawsonville man is the first in the county to be arrested under a new intimate harassment law that went into effect July 1. Christopher James Smith, 20, faces misdemeanor charges after he allegedly sent out a photo of him and a woman committing a sexual act. Smith was arrested on Aug. 11 on the charge of prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions, Public Information Officer Tony Wooten said. The photo allegedly depicts Smith and the woman in a sexual act. It was electronically transmitted via cell phone between the dates of Aug. 6 and Aug. 7 without the victims consent, Wooten said. Smith was arrested based on the new privacy law in Georgia signed by Gov. Nathan Deal this year. It is known as the Intimate Harassment law and was a bill sponsored by State Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) in the 2014 legislative session. The law states that a person commits the offense of intimate harassment if he or she knowingly: Transmits or posts to the Internet a photograph or video which depicts nudity or sexually-explicit conduct of an adult when the transmission or post is intended to cause substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose First-time offenders of the new law face misdemeanor charges. Multiple offenses can result in felony charges. Smith was released from the Dawson County Detention Center on a bond of $1,200.