Aurora Firefighter Arrested In Online Child Exploitation Sting

An Aurora firefighter has been arrested in an online child exploitation sting. Gary Joseph Hawkins, age 44, was booked into the Sevier County Jail on Jan. 29 , accused of possessing child sex abuse material and trying to arrange a meeting with an underage girl and her mother so they could start an “incest family.” An agent with the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking task force posed online as a 43-year-old mother of a 9-year-old girl. According to the affidavit, Hawkins contacted the undercover agent encouraging a meeting “so he and the (undercover agent) could sexually assault the notional 9-year-old daughter.” According to the arrest report, he also revealed he had child sex abuse material on his phone and sent the agent several images and videos. After conducting surveillance on Hawkins’ home in Aurora, agents arrested him Jan. 29. The affidavit also stated that during the arrest, “Hawkins attempted to send his adult son a message…which appeared to be instructions to return to the residence to delete or destroy evidence.”