Gary Hards/Credit: Jackson County Sheriff's Office

 

(KNZA)--A Mayetta man is facing 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

Twenty-seven-year-old Gary Hards was arrested September 4 on a Jackson County District Court warrant. He made his first court appearance Tuesday.

According to court documents, Hards is accused of possessing visual depictions of people under 18 engaging in sexually explicit conduct on September 19th, 2025.

The charges followed an investigation by Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police, with assistance from the Hiawatha Police Department.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 24th.

Hards remains in the Jackson County Jail on 100-thousand dollars bond.