19 Suspects, Including Politician, Arrested in Human Trafficking Sting

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Nineteen suspects, including a Georgia politician, were arrested in a human trafficking operation conducted by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office. The multi-agency operation took place over four days from April 25 to April 28, targeting individuals involved in sexually explicit online communications with minors.

Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman condemned the actions of those arrested. “It takes a sick individual to want to take away a right that a child has – and the freedom and the safety and the comfort that a child has – to bring harm to these children,” he said.

The arrested individuals, including a 32-year-old who ran for District 139 in the upcoming November 2024 election, were charged with attempting to engage in sexual acts with minors. Authorities noted that no children were harmed during the operation, which focused on individuals willing to exploit children through social media apps and dating websites.

Brian Johnston, Special Agent in Charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), emphasized the preventative nature of the operation. “There were no children at harm at all in this. Had we not been there as law enforcement working in an undercover capacity, these very same perpetrators that were arrested would have been talking to our children in our community,” he said.

District Attorney Don Kelly stated that preparing for such operations takes months. “Protecting our children from these kinds of predators is one of the most important things that we can do both as law enforcement and as prosecutors,” he said.

Officials from the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office are urging parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities. Sheriff Countryman advised, “Please monitor your children and what they do on the computers. It’s okay to be a nosey parent.”

The operation highlights ongoing efforts to shield minors from online predators, as law enforcement remains committed to eliminating such threats in the community.