Child-Sex Sting in Gwinnett Nets 23 Arrests

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Twenty-three people were arrested during a five-day, undercover child-sex sting operation in Gwinnett County.

"Operation Spring Cleaning," conducted by multiple state and local law enforcement agencies, ran over a five-day period beginning Thursday, April 20. Those arrested were charged under Georgia's Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act.

The arrestees, who ranged in age from 19 to 48, traveled to Gwinnett from areas around metro Atlanta intending to meet a child for sex. Some of their occupations included electrician, construction worker, retail employee, mechanic, hotel employee, janitor, and some were unemployed, according to authorities.

The purpose of the operation, which was months in the planning, was to arrest persons who communicate with children online and then travel to meet them to have sex.

In addition, the operation targeted those willing to exploit children by purchasing sex with a minor. Online child predators visit chat rooms and websites on the internet, find children, begin conversations with them, introduce sexual content and arrange a meeting with the children for the purpose of having sex.

The children these predators target are both boys and girls.

Since 2014, the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has arrested 77 people in similar operations. Operation Spring Cleaning was coordinated by ICAC, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes unit, the Gwinnett County Police Department, Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office and the Gwinnett District Attorney's office.

Fifteen additional agencies, including the FBI, participated in the operation as members of the ICAC Task Force.

"This type of cooperation and collaboration is invaluable in the effort to keep our children safe from predators who seek to harm them," said Debbie Garner, GBI Special Agent in Charge and commander of the ICAC task force.

"This successful operation was a partnership amongst all the agencies involved. We will continue to aggressively work together to protect our children."

The following were arrested and charged in Gwinnett County as part of "Operation Spring Cleaning"

• Scott Robert Baxter, Tucker, 34, retail employee
• Andrew Sean Carroll, Dacula, 19, grounds maintenance
• Brian Dwayne Clark, Winder, 41, mechanic
• Alisha Gagguturu, Suwanee, 23, unknown
• Connor Fionn Hale, Lawrenceville, 23, unemployed
• Demetrius Deshawn Harper, Lawrenceville, 22, automotive technician
• Joel Blake Jackson, Braselton, 22, gas station attendant
• Rasesh Jagtap, Alpharetta, 33, information technology specialist
• Akshat Jasra, Alpharetta, 35, software consultant
• David Kelley, College Park, 22, model display builder
• Steven Anthony King, Clarksville, 26, warehouse employee
• Horacio Mendoza, Lawrenceville, 48, construction worker
• Andrew Ryan Murphy, Norcross, 22, janitor
• Max Park, Suwanee, 37, unemployed
• Edward Harold Ramsey, Wichita, KS, 24, USAF
• Melchior Simon, Duluth, 28, unemployed
• Martinez-Torres Sixto, Norcross, 30, electrician
• Brett William Smith, Jr., 35, floor installer
• Zadok Smith, Duluth, 27, furniture assembler
• James Evan Soggs, Sandy Springs, 20, warehouse employee
• Adis Spahic, Lawrenceville, 40, warehouse manager
• Ertiza Talukder, Lawrenceville, 23, hotel employee
• William David Warren, Winder, 41, shop foreman

The Georgia ICAC Task Force is comprised of more than 200 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, other related criminal justice agencies and prosecutor’s offices. The mission of the ICAC Task Force, created by the U. S. Department of Justice and managed and operated by the GBI in Georgia, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing an effective response to cyber enticement and child pornography cases.

In 2014, the Georgia ICAC Task Force made 196 arrests. It made 244 arrests in 2015 340 arrests in 2016. The Georgia ICAC Task Force has made over 2,000 arrests since its inception in 2002.

Image via Shutterstock