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7 arrested in Chatham County during child predator sting operation, GBI says

By WSBTV.com News Staff

Georgia Bureau of Investigation

By WSBTV.com News Staff

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced a child exploitation task force operation has led to the arrests of seven men in Chatham County.

According to the GBI, the action, called Operation Nightfall, involved undercover work among 12 agencies across Georgia.

The arrests themselves reportedly started on April 12, the GBI said.

“The arrestees, ranging in age from 31-59, traveled from areas around Chatham County, Georgia, with the intent to meet a child and engage in a sex act,” according to the statewide agency. “GBI digital forensic investigators were on hand at the operation to forensically process 10 electronic devices that were seized as evidence during the operation.”

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During Operation Nightfall, GBI said undercover investigators had more than 265 conversations with people online, using a variety of social media and internet platforms, where the people arrested thought they were speaking with minors and directed the conversations toward sex.

From the operation, 14 cases were established that GBI said met the threshold for arrests, seven of which were closed after the perpetrator tried to meet the “child” in person.

GBI said in some of the cases, the accused showed “obscene or lewd content, often exposing what the perpetrator thought was a child to pornography or requesting the child produce and send sexual or pornographic images for them.”

Agents said half of the conversations used websites meant for dating, socializing or used for online classified advertisements.

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“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 people were identified as communicating simultaneously with multiple investigators posing as minors,” the GBI said. “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.”

Through the operation, the following arrests were made:

  • Utkarshkumar Bhanuprasad Trivedi, age 50, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: unemployed; charged with Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention, Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt), Child Molestation (Transmission of Images), Aggravated Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt).
  • Lancaster Graham Jr., age 38, of Garden City, Georgia, occupation: hospital employee; charged with Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention, Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt), Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes.
  • Ronald Richard Alt Jr., age 31, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: unemployed; charged with Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention, Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt).
  • Henry London Taylor III, age 59, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: sales manager for auto dealership; charged with: Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention, Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt), Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes, Aggravated Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt), Possession of Cocaine.
  • Clifton Edward Newman, age 33, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: unknown; charged with: Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention, Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt), Aggravated Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt).
  • Bobby Edward Crews-Couch Jr., age 41, of Pooler, Georgia, occupation: dialysis technician; Charged with: Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention, Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt), Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes, Aggravated Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt), Possession of Firearm During Felony.
  • Anthony Bernard Simmons, age 39, of Savannah, Georgia, occupation: unknown; charged with Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Child Molestation (Criminal Attempt), Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes.

The GBI said more arrests and charges may follow.

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