Georgia Sheriffs Join Forces For Statewide Sex Offender Operation

GEORGIA — Operation Watchful Eye 7, involving 66 Georgia sheriffs, resulted in the arrest of 42 sex offenders and 117 issued warrants across the state, according to the Clarke County Sheriff's Office Thursday.

The yearly operation was held from Oct. 24-31. According to the sheriff's office, the warrants issued were for violating state registration laws.

"The purpose of this statewide effort is to create awareness that sheriffs’ offices work collectively, network and actively engage their office by participating in statewide verification checks and other non-compliant matters in order to make our state safer. In numerous counties, deputy sheriffs, U.S. marshals, U.S. probation officers and Department of Community Supervision probation/parole officers worked together to verify sex offenders comply with the law," read a news release from the sheriff's office.

Preliminary reporting by the 66 participating sheriff’s offices revealed 10,232 registered sex offenders and 329 homeless sex offenders are currently living in their counties, according to the sheriff's office.

During the one-week operation, according to the sheriff's office:

• 7,878 residence verifications were conducted
• 64 new sex offenders moved into the reporting counties
• 79 warrants were issued for residency violations of the sex offender registry
• Nine new warrants were issued for violations of the sex offender registry law (other than residency violations)
• Two warrants were issued for new sex offenses
• 27 warrants were issued for other miscellaneous new charges

Authorities said 476 sex offenders are being sought out by sheriffs after leaving their last known addresses.

"Locally, members of the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office’s Court and Field Divisions verified the locations of 116 of the 138 total registered sex offenders in Athens-Clarke County during this initiative. One arrest was made and warrants are being sought for five offenders for residency violations," read the release from the sheriff's office.