Lewiston Man Charged with Exploiting and Enticing a Child Over the Internet Scheduled to …

LEWISTON – A 33-year-old Lewiston man charged with enticing a child over the internet and the exploitation of a child is scheduled to be sentenced in court on November 2.Gary J. Hardin, of Lewiston, was initially arrested in March of 2022.According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Big Country News Connection, Hardin was found to have been communicating with a minor via Snapchat, attempting to solicit sexual images from the minor while also sending her explicit photographs of himself. The investigation began in early March 2022 after the parent of the child notified the Lewiston Police Department that they had reviewed contents on their child’s phone which revealed the child had been communicating via Snapchat with a “man with a beard,” who was later identified as Hardin.After learning this information, the concerned parent then began messaging Gary on the phone, posing as the child. According to the probable cause affidavit, Hardin would consistently send messages via Snapchat that contained text and pictures of his face. He then reportedly started requesting photos of the child, sending messages saying he was going to “be her first.” In the messages, Gary also reportedly acknowledged the extreme age gap between himself and the…
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