HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Neighbors are grateful after an internet predator sting led to the arrest of a man accused of trying to entice a teen at a local park.
Hall County Sheriff's Deputies arrested 36-year-old Samuel Peppers of Covington Thursday morning.
"Just catch them all is all I can say. The law needs to catch them and that's good," one woman who lives near Laurel Park said.
"You have too many men out here now chasing these girls. And that's not good," another nearby resident said.
Deputies said Peppers sent pornographic images of himself to a 14-year-old girl. That 14-year-old was actually an investigator working on a sting.
Deputies say Peppers arranged to meet the girl at Laurel Park. They said he pulled in, became spooked and tried to drive off. That's when undercover officers intercepted him.
Park worker Douglas Barnes said he heard Pepper's speeding car.
"When I turned around it looked like he was coming right at me. I wouldn't have had a chance if he had hit me," Barnes told Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
Undercover officers blocked Peppers just outside the park. They said that's when Peppers became desperate.
"He pulled a firearm out of a location inside the vehicle and placed it to his head," Hall County Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Nicole Bailes said.
That led to an hour and a half stand-off. Peppers eventually surrendered.
"Apologetic, upset. Maybe ashamed is a better word for him," Bailes said.
Neighbors said deputies need to keep doing stings like this.
"And I'm glad they're as good at it as they are. But I wish they were better at it," one neighbor said.
Peppers is charged with enticing a child and attempted child molestation.