Calhoun man arrested in on-line child sex sting

September 15, 2019–2:09 p.m.

FORSYTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

“Operation Just Cause”, a proactive undercover investigation coordinated by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office High Technology Crime Unit, was a four-day proactive effort centered in Forsyth County beginning on Thursday, September 5, 2019. The operation, which took several months of planning, resulted in 24 individuals being arrested with charges that included Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act and Trafficking of Persons for Labor or Sexual Servitude. (Additional charges may be forthcoming.)

The goal of “Operation Just Cause” was to arrest persons who communicate with children on-line and then travel to meet them for the purpose of having sex. Additionally, 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. Over the course of the operation, a number of cases were established that met the threshold for arrest. 24 of those cases were concluded with arrests. The arrestees, ranging in age from 19 to 65, traveled from areas around North Georgia, and other states, with the intent to meet a child for sex.

During the multi-day operation, investigators had numerous exchanges with subjects on various social media or internet platforms. Many of those were exchanges in which the subject initiated contact with whom they believed to be a minor and directed the conversation towards sex. In some of those cases, the subject introduced obscene or lewd content, often exposing the minor (undercover) to pornography or requesting the child take nude or pornographic images for them. Although some websites promote themselves as being for “adults-only” it is not uncommon for law enforcement to work cases in which children access these sites, establish profiles claiming to be older, and then find themselves vulnerable to victimization, harassment, blackmail, or assault. Several subjects were identified as communicating simultaneously with multiple investigators posing as minors. Such activity confirms what investigators uncover conducting these types of investigations: that many predators specifically seek out minors on such websites to groom them as potential victims for sexual contact.

Along with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, 13 additional law enforcement agencies participated in “Operation Just Cause” as members of the Georgia ICAC Task Force. These agencies were: Johns Creek-Alpharetta-Forsyth County (JCAF) Drug Task Force, Alpharetta Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, Floyd County Police Department, GBI, GBI-Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center (GISAC), Gwinnett County Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Johns Creek Police Department, Lilburn Police Department, Roswell Police Department, and the United States Department of Homeland Security

The following persons were arrested and charged in Forsyth County as part of “Operation Just Cause”:

Robert Harley Martin, W/M, Dahlonega, GA, 38 years of age, truck driver
Erik Delgado, W/M, Gainesville, GA, 26 years of age, sales associate
Alan Thomas Bryant, W/M, Murrayville, GA, 40 years of age, unemployed
Kyle Alexander Williams, B/M, Stone Mountain, GA, 32 years of age, landscaper
Roger Kyle Nicholson; W/M, Gainesville, GA, 44 years of age, unemployed
Jacob Perry Yeamans, W/M, Madison, Wisconsin, 61 years of age
Rene Mauricio Posada; W/M; Marietta, GA, 29 years of age, sales manager
Jackson Cain Butler, W/M, Calhoun, GA, 20 years of age, sales
John Andrew Odell, W/M, Cumming, GA, 40 years of age, truck driver
Michael Keith Coker, W/M; Augusta State Prison, 29 years of age, unemployed
Richard Edward Hazelwood, B/M, Roswell, GA 49 years of age, drug representative
Johnathon Dale Butler, W/M, Palmall, TN, 25 years of age, unemployed
Mackenzi Faye Stinson, W/F, Palmall, TN, 19 years of age, sales associate
Mahesh Kumar Saroj, W/M, Alpharetta, GA, 35 years of age, Information Technology
Christopher Scott Taylor, W/M, Cumming, GA, 29 years of age, construction
Joseph Ryan Lisnock, W/M, Gainesville, GA, 22 years of age, Landscaper
Dylan Blair Nessmith, W/M, Johns Creek, GA, 23 years of age, mechanic
Austin Wayne Rhodes, W/M, Alpharetta, GA, 22 years of age, Mechanic
Daniel Dennis Rogan. W/M, Witchita, KS, 47 years of age, Vehicle Transporter
Jason Lee McIntyre, W/M, Gainesville, GA, 35 years of age, Supervisor
Gavin Austen Peppers, W/M, Bowman, GA, 21 years of age, hotel clerk
Jimmy Webster Roy, W/M, Gainesville, GA, 21 years of age, mover
Anthony Christian Ceja, W/M, Lawrenceville, GA, 23 years of age, laborer
Steven Charles Vinnenberg W/M, Cumming, Ga. 65 years of age