13 Children Rescued From GA Sex Exploitation Ring, 76 Arrested

ATLANTA, GA — Thirteen children were rescued from an eight-state child pornography ring that led to the arrest of 76 people seeking and distributing the most violent child pornography involving infants and toddlers, authorities said. Six of those arrested in Georgia allegedly traveled to the state to meet and have sex with a child. There was one arrest involving sextortion, what police call an alarming trend where someone obtains sexually explicit photos of minors and then threatens or blackmails them for more obscene images or videos.

Eight registered sex offenders were investigated in Georgia, four of those were charged with new crimes related to child pornography. At least one foster parent with young children was arrested. There were also searches conducted where guns were found and illegal drugs were discovered.

In Georgia, those arrested range in age from 17 to 63; they were charged with computer pornography and child exploitation. Some of their occupations included construction worker, truck driver, disc jockey, youth director, and a restaurant worker. Additional charges are likely and other arrests will occur after analysis of seized digital devices, officials say.

Those in custody and charged in Georgia as part of the investigation are:

• Wesley Bunker, 27, Rome, GA, retail store employee
• Tony Burton, 52, Lawrenceville, GA, unemployed
• Eric A. Burgess, 17, Suwannee, GA, student
• Jason R. Cash, 34, Monroe, GA, electrician
• Anthony L. Crane, 39, Cartersville, GA, construction worker
• Jeffery Declouet, 46, Suwannee, GA, IT support employee
• Mark D. Driver, 36, Fort Valley, GA, truck stop employee
• Kyam Forsyth, 25, Eatonton, GA, unemployed
• Bill E. Garner, 54, Resaca, GA, unemployed
• John Garrett, 62, Roswell, GA, former manager of commercial bus service
• John P. Hart, Jr., 63, Sandersville, GA, unemployed
• Aaron C. Helton, 36, Adairsville, GA, unknown
• Bryan E. Holloway, 45, Winston, GA, truck driver
• Mark Horn, 31, Dallas, GA, vocational training non-profit employee
• Gordon L. Ingebritsen, 53, Duluth, GA, unemployed
• Shawn M. Kemp, 31, Cedartown, GA, postal employee
• Nicholas Knight, 29, Dublin, GA, unemployed
• Jeffery Lance, 26, Silver Creek, GA, school board employee/church youth director
• Donald Allen McFall, 31, Columbus, GA, unemployed
• Stephen McGatha, 49, Cedartown, GA, unknown
• John Clark Miller, 57, Winder, GA, glass company technician
• Jonathan Okelly, 37, Douglasville, GA, unknown
• Andrew Orr, 34, Marietta, GA, part-time freighter
• Daniel Pacheco, 27, Tucker, GA, disc jockey
• Hershell Kyle Pirkle, 29, restaurant worker
• Eric Wolfgang Rauth, 35, Elgin, Illinois, unknown
• Benjamin F. Smith, 41, Byron, GA, civilian employee at AFB
• Bryan F. Stisher, 35, Roswell, GA, online tutor
• Karl K. Strenth, Jr., 28, Leesburg, GA, unknown
• Thomas C. Toler, 54, St. Mary’s, GA, human resources
• Darren Alan Vincent, 47, Trion, GA, manufacturing worker

Those charged with violating probation are:

• Darlene Johnson, 49, Valdosta, GA, unemployed
• Michael Thor, 45, Valdosta, GA, unemployed
• Stephon B. Gary, 31, Valdosta, GA, unemployed

During the investigation 1,255 digital devices were seized, 235 of which were mobile phones. The arrests stemmed from cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and online undercover investigations.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces Task Force is comprised of more than 230 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, other related criminal justice agencies and prosecutor’s offices. The operation was a coordinated effort between 52 local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies in Georgia.

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