A total of 82 people were arrested, including an Allenhurst man, and 17 children were rescued or identified as victims during a mutually coordinated operation between eight southeastern states. Liberty and Long county law enforcement agencies assisted.
The joint, proactive operation, Operation Southern Impact III, was coordinated by 10 Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces and focused on persons who possess and distribute child pornography and those who are sexually exploiting children in other ways using technology and the internet. The planning for the sting operation began about four months ago and culminated in three days of investigative actions to include search warrant executions, undercover operations, arrests and sex offender compliance verification visits in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. A total of 171 law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies participated in the operation.
The arrestees ranged in age from 20 to 70. Some of their occupations included non-profit employee, small business owner, store clerk, mechanic, daycare administrator, youth group leader, former high school band director, freelance photographer, construction worker and painter. During the operation, 134 search warrants were executed and 215 knock and talks were conducted in those eight states. During those search warrants and knock and talks, 861 digital devices were previewed and 1,613 digital devices were seized. Of those devices seized 203 were mobile phones.
In Georgia, 31 people were arrested in the sting, including one local man, Dillan M. Bell, 26 of Allenhurst.
Most of those arrests involved the possession or distribution of child pornography. While investigators regularly target the trading of all types of child pornography, in Operation Southern Impact III investigators targeted those seeking out and distributing the most violent sexual abuse material involving infants and toddlers.