Canton Man Back In Jail On Child Porn Charges

CANTON, GA -- Thirty-one people were arrested during a mutually coordinated operation between Georgia and Alabama law enforcement agencies during Operation Southern Impact, which targeted persons who sexually exploit children by using the Internet.

In Georgia, 17 people -- including a Canton resident once dubbed as the state's "most active child porn consumers" -- were apprehended during Operation Southern Impact.

Those arrested in Georgia were charged with crimes under the state's Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 2007.

Additional charges may be forthcoming and other arrests may occur after analysis of seized digital devices.

Those arrested in Georgia as part of the operation are:

• David Potts, 61, of Cumming; retired
• Tyler Quarles, 24, of Winterville; store clerk
• Parker Hoekstra, 22, of Smyrna; student
• Robert Peters, 73, of Winston; retired
• Kenneth Flowers, 54, of Dallas; engineer/small business owner
• Corey Moore, 38, of Savannah; unemployed
• Russell Love, Jr., 48, of Swainsboro; unemployed
• Kevin Tanner, 40, Kite; production line worker
• Dwight Gregory Watson, 43, of Canton; addiction counseling pastor
• Jonathan Hurwitz, 48, of Evans; military cybersecurity personnel
• Benjamin Brinker, 30, of Lawrenceville; construction
• Daniel Ridley, 34, of Cornelia; fencing company employee
• Kerry Williams, 56, of Columbus; mechanic
• Roger McDonald, 61, of Valdosta; registered nurse
• Shane Murphy, 37, of Winder; unemployed
• Jason Herrin, 27, of Douglasville; restaurant employee
• Erik Nateras, 27, of Atlanta; unknown

Watson was previously arrested and charged by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office with 50 counts of child sexual exploitation.

Following his Sept. 28 arrest, Watson was granted bond by the Cherokee County Magistrate Court. However, he was booked back into jail on Oct. 5 on contempt of superior court charges.

He remains held at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.

The joint investigation was coordinated by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and "focused on those who possess and distribute child pornography and those who are sexually exploiting children in other ways using the internet," the GBI states.

Planning for Operation Southern Impact started about three months ago, and culminated in two days of executing search warrants and making arrests in Georgia and Alabama.

The Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force wanted to reinforce to those who exploit children that the ICAC Task Forces will work together to make an impact in their respective states and the region as a whole.

"The cooperation among agencies and among states illustrates their level of commitment to detect, arrest, and prosecute child predators," the GBI added. "Cooperation is always important in law enforcement, but it is never more important than when we set out to protect children. Operation Southern Impact has given us an opportunity to share our experience, information, and resources across units, agencies, and state lines, to make sure that there is no safe place to hide for criminals who would victimize the most vulnerable among us."

A total of 54 search warrants were executed in Georgia and Alabama. Law enforcement officers conducting the searches were looking for evidence of possession and distribution of child pornography using the internet as well as evidence of other child exploitation related crimes.

Over the course of the operation, 162 digital devices were examined and 731 digital media and devices were seized as evidence in Georgia and Alabama.

Dozens of metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies took part in the operation, including the sheriff's offices of Cherokee, Forsyth, Paulding and Hall counties as well as the police departments of Cobb, DeKalb, Duluth, Gwinnett, Roswell and Smyrna.

Photo: Dwight Gregory Watson. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office