CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Jarred Harrell, the man named as a person of interest in the Somer Thompson murder case, is facing 13 new charges the day before he is set to be arraigned.
Harrell, 24, is accused of child molestation, production and possession of child pornography.
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Clay County prosecutor Steve Nelson said Tuesday the new charges are related to the same child victim, a 3-year-old girl who Harrell's accused of molesting, and the child pornography images and video that deputies said they found on Harrell's computer last month.
Nelson said the girl's family knows Harrell and his family.
As a result of what else investigators have seen in those pictures and video, prosecutors said they are filing one new lewd and lascivious molestation charge against Harrell and 12 new counts of using a child in a sexual performance.
Prosecutors said the reason for the new charges is to "maximize the prosecution."
Court Documents:
Jarred Harrell Jail DocumentsNew Arrest Report: Harrell Charged With MolestationHarrell - Clay County Booking SheetHarrell - Mississippi Rendition Warrant
Deputies said the evidence comes from a memory card that was found on Harrell when he was arrested in Mississippi. They said images of the young girl were taken while Harrell was living at his parent's home on Gano Avenue, where Somer Thompson was last seen before she disappeared in October walking home from school.
Somer's body was found days later in a Folkston, Ga., landfill, where Orange Park's trash is dumped.
In total, Harrell is facing 55 charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned in court Wednesday morning, and he's currently being held without bond.