(Gwinnett County, GA) - As a result of a proactive undercover investigation coordinated by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC), the Gwinnett County Police Department, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, 23 people were arrested over a five day period beginning Thursday, April 20, 2017.  Those arrested were charged with O.C.G.A. 16-12-100.2, Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 2007.  Additional charges may be forthcoming.

“Operation Spring Cleaning” was a five day proactive effort centered in Gwinnett County, GA.  The operation took months of planning.  The arrestees, ranging in age from 19 to 48, traveled from areas around metro Atlanta with the intent to meet a child for sex.  Some of their occupations included electrician, construction worker, retail employee, mechanic, hotel employee, janitor, and some were unemployed.   

The purpose of “Operation Spring Cleaning” was to arrest persons who communicate with children on-line and then travel to meet them for the purpose of having sex.  In addition, the operation targeted those that are willing to exploit children by purchasing sex with a minor. On-line 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 ICAC Task Force has arrested 77 people in similar operations. 

Along with those agencies who participated in the planning and coordinating of the operation, fifteen (15) additional law enforcement agencies participated in “Operation Spring Cleaning” as members of the Georgia ICAC Task Force. These agencies were:

1)     Alpharetta Police Department

2)     Atlanta Police Department

3)     Clayton County Police Department

4)     Columbus Police Department

5)     Coweta County Sheriff’s Office

6)     Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center (GISAC)

7)     Glynn County Police Department

8)     Hall County Sheriff’s Office

9)     LaGrange Police Department

10) Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office

11) Marietta Police Department

12) Polk County Police Department

13) Woodstock Police Department

14) Federal Bureau of Investigation

15) Homeland Security Investigations

The proactive on-line investigation was a coordinated effort among the participating law enforcement agencies to combat this activity.  GBI Special Agent in Charge and Commander of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Debbie Garner stated “this type of cooperation and collaboration is invaluable in the effort to keep our children safe from predators who seek to harm them.  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”:

1. Scott Robert Baxter, W/M, Tucker, GA, 34 years of age, retail employee
2. Andrew Sean Carroll, W/M, Dacula, GA, 19 years of age, grounds maintenance
3. Brian Dwayne Clark, W/M, Winder, GA, 41years of age, mechanic
4. Alisha Gagguturu, I/M, Suwanee, GA, 23 years of age, unknown
5. Connor Fionn Hale, W/M, Lawrenceville, GA, 23 years of age, unemployed
6. Demetrius Deshawn Harper, B/M, Lawrenceville, GA, 22 years of age, automotive technician
7. Joel Blake Jackson, W/M, from Braselton, GA, 22 years of age, gas station attendant
8. Rasesh Jagtap, I/M, Alpharetta, GA, 33 years of age, information technology specialist
9. Akshat Jasra, I/M, Alpharetta, GA, 35 years of age, software consultant
10. David Kelley, B/M, College Park, GA, 22 years of age, model display builder
11. Steven Anthony King, B/M, Clarksville, GA, 26 years of age, warehouse employee
12. Horacio Mendoza, H/M, Lawrenceville, GA, 48 years of age, construction worker
13. Andrew Ryan Murphy, W/M, Norcross, GA, 22 years of age, janitor
14. Max Park, A/M, Suwanee, GA, 37 years of age, unemployed
15. Edward Harold Ramsey, B/M, Wichita, KS, 24 years of age, USAF
16. Melchior Simon, B/M, Duluth, GA, 28 years of age, unemployed
17. Martinez-Torres Sixto , H/M, from Norcross, GA, 30 years of age, electrician
18. Brett William Smith, Jr., W/M, 35 years of age, floor installer
19. Zadok Smith, B/M, Duluth, GA, 27 years of age, furniture assembler
20. James Evan Soggs, W/M, Sandy Springs, GA, 20 years of age, warehouse employee
21. Adis Spahic, W/M, from Lawrenceville, GA, 40 years of age, warehouse manager
22. Ertiza Talukder, I/M, Lawrenceville, GA, 23 years of age, hotel employee
23. William David Warren, W/M, Winder, GA, 41 years of age, shop foreman

The Georgia ICAC Task Force is comprised of 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. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention, and community education. The ICAC Program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims. By helping state and local law enforcement agencies develop effective and sustainable responses to online child victimization and child pornography, the ICAC program delivers national resources at the local level.  Arrests made by the Georgia ICAC Task Force have been steadily increasing over the last 3 years.  In 2014, the GA ICAC Task Force made 196 arrests.  The Georgia ICAC Task Force made 244 arrests in 2015, and in 2016, the Georgia ICAC Task Force made 340 arrests. The Georgia ICAC Task Force has made over 2,000 arrests since its inception in 2002.