Unterman, a vocal advocate for human trafficking and child sex abuse prevention, praised the operation as a sign Georgia continues to make progress on those issues. Some of those charges carry a maximum of life in prison. None of the suspects have previous arrests for child sexual abuse, but are charged with offenses including child molestation, sexual exploitation of a minor and human trafficking.

by: Megan Hoye Staff Writer They start early, before the sun comes up.

Tuesdays sweep led to more than a dozen arrests. The Flagler County Sheriffs Office plans warrants sweeps for drug-related charges about twice a year. Garner credited the number of officers and agencies that participated, as well as lessons learned from conducting previous stings, for the high arrest number.Īll suspects who planned on traveling in the case were surveilled by law enforcement, and all who traveled were arrested, Garner said. Tuesdays sweep led to more than a dozen arrests. The sting not only yielded the largest number of arrests of any ICAC sting, but involved 20 law enforcement agencies and more than 70 officers. “Operation Spring Cleaning is proof to anyone who had disbelief that there was demand for sex with children in our state,” said Heather Stockdale, executive director of Georgia Cares. “These suspects were willing to travel and pay for sex with children. Cops: Man follows Gwinnett woman home from Wal-Mart, flashes herĬhild sex abuse prevention advocates said this operation should be a stark reminder that the issue can hit anywhere in metro Atlanta.

Arrests in operation spring cleaning