The greater Savannah, Georgia area just became a little more safe for your kids, thanks to the hard work of the Effingham and Chatham County Sheriff Departments. No, they did not put a sting on transgender individuals using the bathrooms, but instead arrested some 39 brothers, sons, and uncles that decided they would use the internet to arrange to have sex with children.
They range in age from 17 to 57, hail from Georgia and South Carolina and include a house painter, an industrial worker and an elementary school principal.
The one thing the 39 individuals have in common — they were all arrested this summer for trying to have sex with children, according to officials with the Effingham County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies from the Effingham and Chatham County Sheriff’s Offices lured the men to the area over the past 10 weeks in “Operation Summer Heat” by pretending to be underage children. The suspects were arrested on felony charges of child molestation or computer pornography. The mugshots of 37 of the men were released to the public Tuesday, and two photos were not released because the men were age 17.
The names were also released and are posted on savannahnow.com. Images are also present, mainly mug shots, but some pictures of these men being arrested at sting locations.
Some of the suspects would ask, “Is this a sting?” or “You aren’t a cop, are you?” and despite their misgivings, would still arrive at sting sites where they were arrested, officials said. They would try to meet children in public places such as a park or a fast-food restaurant or more secluded places such as a private home – some place the offender would feel safe.
But instead of a young boy or girl, they would find a sheriff’s deputy, ready to make an arrest.
“Some offenders had to be wrestled,” Heath said. “Some had to be chased, but in the end all the offenders ended up in the Effingham County jail.”
The Effingham Sheriff’s Office has been making these kinds of arrests for five years now, and their efforts have been covered extensively by the media.
But still, the men turn up.
The savannahnow.com site is full of many suggestions as to what to do with these 39 individuals from the death penalty to removal of their sex organs.
Deal said the men who plead guilty tend to get shorter prison terms, but even they get 10 years and a long probation term when they must register as a sex offender. Those who go to court have been getting 30 to 40 years in prison.
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Those arrested this summer include Portal Elementary School Principal Paul David Hudson, who was charged with attempted child molestation. Hudson’s arrest was covered by the media earlier this summer. He resigned as principal, a job he held since 2001.
Deal said the arrests are a reminder to parents to keep a close eye on their children’s Internet activities. – savannahnow.com
More money, effort, ant time need to go into stings like this one. This is just two sheriff departments from a small section of one of the 50 states in the US and look how many individuals they removed from the street. These "men" were after both boys and girls for sex and it wasn't in a Target bathroom.
As an awesome gay uncle, I do worry about my nieces and how they are using their phone, iPods, the internet. I know they are smart young women, but you never know who they may be talking to. They, as well as any young boys may have questions they don't feel they can ask their uncle or parents, but instead may desire to meet and explore with someone outside the family. They don't know they may be welcoming in danger.
What are the final words on this issue?
“We’re bailing a boat with a thimble,” said Effingham Sheriff’s Investigator Joe Heath.
h/t: savannahnow.com