Cobb County

15 arrested in child predator investigation

Christopher Braden, Johnny Crittenden and Justin Clark are three of the 15 suspects arrested in the investigation.

COBB COUNTY — More than a dozen men were arrested in a lengthy child predator investigation throughout Marietta.

Police told Channel 2’s Ross Cavitt that the suspects targeted their victims online.

Marietta Police said detectives answered ads and went into chat rooms acting as underage girls. They looked for men who were openly soliciting sex.

In the past several months, more than a dozen men went to Marietta looking for an illegal hookup.

"These were individuals that intentionally made contact with children online, seeking out underage children and then seeking out those children with the intent of getting into a car and driving to a location to have sex," Marietta police Officer Chuck McPhilamy said.

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Kenley, 13, told Cavitt that her mother's prying into her online life sometimes angered her. But when she found out about the investigation, she understood.

"If I were a mom, too, I would be in my kid's business make sure she wasn't in any harm," the teen said.

Below is a list of the suspects who were arrested:

Terry Crawford, 58 (Pine Mountain, Ga.)

Johnny Crittenden, 57 (Jonesboro, Ga.)

Jose Barrera, 20 (Kennesaw, Ga.)

Justin Jones, 42 (Marietta, Ga.)

Nikolas Sims, 23 (Conyers, Ga.)

Stephen Cook, 59 (Grayson, Ga.)

James Lumpkin, 46 (Marietta, Ga.)

Christopher Braden, 38 (Jasper, Ala.)

Noe Verdugo, 36 (Atlanta, Ga.)

James Conner, 45 (Monroe, Ga.)

Thornton Barrow, 54 (Central, S.C.)

David Butterworth, 40 (Flowery Branch, Ga.)

Justin Clark, 31 (Hines, Ore.)

Mitchell Walters, 28 (Cumming, Ga.)

Keith Grogan, 44 (Graycourt, S.C.)