39 Georgia Men Arrested in Child Sex Sting Operation

RINCON, GA — A 10-week child sex sting operation near Georgia's coast resulted in the arrest of 39 men.

Operation Summer Heat was conducted in Effingham County, which borders Chatham County and the popular tourist destination of Savannah. According to Effingham Now, deputies from both counties participated in the operation by pretending to be underage children.

The men, ranging in age from 17 to 57, were arrested felony charges of child molestation or computer pornography, and include a former elementary school principal in nearby Portal, GA.

Paul David Hudson, 49, of Statesboro, GA, was arrested after he drove from to Effingham County for allegedly soliciting sex from a 15-year-old, according to Forsyth News. He was met by an undercover police officer instead.

“Some offenders had to be wrestled,” said Effingham Sheriff's Investigator Joe Heath. “Some had to be chased, but in the end all the offenders ended up in the Effingham County jail.”

Hudson’s case, along with those of several other men, were brought before an Effingham County grand jury on Monday.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office is part of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The task force is one of a group of 61 regional task forces spread throughout the nation and funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Georgia task force began operations in 2003, and is made of up of 220 law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in the state.

From 2008 to 2010, the Georgia task force made 435 arrests. In 2015, it made 244 arrests. There have been over 1,600 arrests in Georgia by the task force since it was established.

Image: Paul Hudson. Image Effingham County Sheriff's Department