Mar 10th, 4:03pm
A young man named as a person of interest in the killing of a Florida girl pleaded not guilty Wednesday to new child pornography and molestation charges.
Jarred Harrell, 24, made a brief appearance in court in Clay County, wearing a white and gray jail jumpsuit and shackles on his hands and feet, The Florida Times-Union reported. He was extradited to Florida after his arrest Feb. 11 in Mississippi on child pornography charges.
Investigators describe Harrell as a person of interest in the kidnapping and killing of Somer Thompson. The 7-year-old girl disappeared Oct. 19 while walking home from school in Orange Park, and her body was found two days later in a landfill 55 miles away in Georgia.
Harrell first came under investigation in August when his roommates reported finding child pornography on his computer. The investigation was still in progress when Somer, who lived near Harrell in Orange Park, disappeared.
The new charges stem from images found on a digital camera seized during a search of Harrell's mother's home in Callahan, Fla.
About a dozen people outside the courthouse held signs reading Justice for Somer.
