Teen sextortion suspect to stand trial as adult

A 17-year-old from Hall County accused of a massive sextortion case involving multiple victims must face the charges as an adult.

District Judge Andrew Butler called the teenager “an extreme threat to the security of the public.”

Holum is accused of using deception and threats to convince at least 16 identified victims to provide him with explicit photos.

Most of the victims are minors from the same rural community. The county prosecutor believes there are six other females victimized who he has been unable to identify.

At a hearing earlier this month, Cody Holum, just days away from his 18th birthday, asked the judge to have the 17 felony counts of human trafficking and sexual assault be considered in juvenile court. His attorney from the public defender’s office argued Holum would benefit from the counseling and rehabilitation services available to a juvenile defendant until he was 19 years old.

Hall County Attorney Martin Klien disagreed. In a brief filed after the court hearing, Klien wrote “Holum presents issues that the juvenile probation office is not equipped to address.”

Hall added “the depraved nature of his offenses demonstrate a risk that necessitates supervision beyond the age majority.”

In the order issued Wednesday, Judge Butler agreed with the prosecutor, determining the year’s worth of services available before Holum would be become an adult would not provide enough time to deal with the “alarming” behavior he’s shown over several years.

The judge wrote Holum is accused of operating “a sophisticated criminal enterprise to create sexual benefits for himself.”

Holum pled not guilty and remains in jail until he posts a $500,000 bond. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for March 12.