Georgia Sheriff’s Association Elects New Officers at Annual Training Conference

Seventy Sheriffs from around the state recently participated in the three-day annual Summer Training Conference held at Lake Lanier Islands. The Sheriffs attended multiple training sessions, received timely information from subject matter experts, and conducted Association business, including electing new officers.

The newly elected officers for the 2020-2021 term were voted in as follows:

President, Banks County Sheriff Carlton Speed;
1st Vice President, Turner County Sheriff Andy Hester;
2nd Vice President, Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump, and
Secretary-Treasurer, Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie.

New Officers installed for the Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes, Inc. included:

President, Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley;
1st Vice President, McIntosh County Sheriff Steve Jessup;
2nd Vice President, Troup County Sheriff James Woodruff, and
Secretary-Treasurer, Glascock County Sheriff Jeremy Kelly.

The conference was otherwise devoted to training sessions to update the Sheriffs on topics relevant to public safety and the Office of Sheriff. Expert speakers provided training to the Sheriffs on legislative and legal issues, biological weapons and preparedness, COVID 19, and the courts, state law enforcement and community relations, among other things.

Sheriff’s Offices in Georgia have many responsibilities such as providing courthouse security, operating jails, transporting inmates and mental health patients, performing traffic and law enforcement functions, registering sex offenders and many more law enforcement actions. Sheriffs are the chief law enforcement officer of each county and have many mandated responsibilities by state law. As a result of these diverse responsibilities, Sheriffs must be knowledgeable of best practices and procedures in many areas. Current concerns of law enforcement, as they relate to the Office of Sheriff, are addressed during training conferences sponsored by the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association.

“Their participation is vital if we are to seek out the best practices in fulfilling these important responsibilities,” stated Terry Norris, Executive Director, Georgia Sheriffs’

Association.

The Sheriffs heard from Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, Executive Director Pete Skandalakis of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council, Director Homer Bryson of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, and other state agency heads.

The Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, Inc. is comprised of 159 elected Sheriffs with over 70,000 honorary members throughout the state.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-state-news/georgia-sheriffs-association-elects-new-officers-at-annual-training-conference/

Registered Sex Offender Arrested for the Sexual Exploitation of Children in Montgomery County

On Friday, August 7, 2020, Montgomery County resident Leonard Thad Powell, 44, was charged with one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Pornography) and one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Distribution of Child Pornography) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. This arrest was related to an investigation that began because of several tips pertaining to child sexual abuse material being shared online by Powell. These tips were forwarded to the GBI by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Powell is a registered sex offender in Montgomery County. Powell was previously convicted in 2007 for Child Molestation and in 2016 for the Sexual Exploitation of Children. Powell is currently on probation related to the Child Molestation conviction and on parole for the previous conviction for the Sexual Exploitation of Children. Powell is currently in custody of the Montgomery County Jail.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/toombs-public-safety/registered-sex-offender-arrested-for-the-sexual-exploitation-of-children-in-montgomery-county/

Grovetown men named in separate indictments alleging possession of child pornography

Two Grovetown men have been charged in separate federal indictments alleging possession of child pornography.

Jordan Logan, 35, and Johnathan Malone, 22, have been indicted by a U.S. District Court Grand Jury on one count each of Possession of Child Pornography, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, followed by registration as a sex offender and a period of supervised release after completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Cyber exploitation of children is at epidemic levels, and we commend our law enforcement partners for their diligence in finding those who would engage in such abhorrent behavior,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “We likewise will be diligent in prosecuting these cases to the fullest extent of the law.”

In both of these cases, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) received information that led to online investigations and subsequent searches that found illegal images on devices in possession of the defendants.

“This indictment illustrates the hard work of law enforcement to investigate crimes against children,” said GBI Director Vic Reynolds. “The GBI is committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure that child sexual exploitation cases are aggressively pursued. We are especially grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their dedication to prosecute these cases.”

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The cases were investigated by the GBI and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara Lyons.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-public-safety/grovetown-men-named-in-separate-indictments-alleging-possession-of-child-pornography/

Ga man, convicted sex offender pleads guilty to operating a child pornography chat group

Terence Dewayne Dixon has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography. Dixon ran a Kik chat group that he named “House of 1000 Littles.” In 2018, the chat group involved more than 20 members from around the world who talked about and traded child pornography on a daily basis before the group was shut down in October 2018.

“Dixon and his chat group traded these disgusting files without regard for the lives they impacted,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Individuals who share images of the sexual abuse of children feed the horrific exploitation of children, creating ongoing trauma to these vulnerable young victims and their families each time their image is distributed.”

“It is detestable that this predator delighted in seeing images of children being victimized, but to make matters worse, he organized an online haven for others to discuss and traffic in this filth,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI Atlanta and its state and local partners will continue to identify and arrest these predators that are victimizing and stealing the innocence of our youth.”

“For this defendant to take the images of innocent children and pass them around in order to exploit them and use them to arouse in a sexual nature is absolutely despicable. The GBI is committed to working with our partners to stop this criminal behavior and protect our young ones,” said Vic Reynolds, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: As early as November 2017, Dixon created a chat group on the social media app, Kik, and named it “House of 1000 Littles.” Members of Dixon’s group discussed how they were sexually aroused by children and sent one another links to child pornography files on a daily basis until October 2018. Investigators identified most of the other members of the chat group, living all across the United States, including in Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, New York, Louisiana, Tennessee, and California. On one day, in or about January 2018, Dixon shared 21 links. On another occasion, in February 2018, he bragged that his shared link contained 5,000 videos of child pornography.

Sentencing for Terence Dewayne Dixon, also known as “Devilman Crybaby”, 37, of Houston, Texas, has not been scheduled yet.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keen is prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-public-safety/ga-man-convicted-sex-offender-pleads-guilty-to-operating-a-child-pornography-chat-group/

Man charged with attempted sexual coercion of Columbia County minor

Charges carry penalty of up to life in federal prison

A Florida man has been arraigned in U.S. District Court on charges related to his alleged attempts to coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Gordon T. Cooper, 46, of Clermont, Fla., appeared in a virtual hearing before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps regarding his indictment on charges of Attempted Coercion and Enticement, and Transfer of Obscene Matter to a Minor, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The maximum penalty for the charges are up to life in prison and substantial fines and penalties, followed by a registration as a sex offender and a period of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Our law enforcement partners remain vigilant in monitoring cyber traffic for predators targeting vulnerable citizens, especially children,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “Likewise, our office continues to be aggressive in prosecuting those found responsible for illegal online activities.”

According to court documents and testimony, the investigation began when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was alerted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about online traffic targeting a minor who resides in Columbia County. The messages were attempting to induce the minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and shared obscene material with the minor. GBI investigators monitoring the messages identified and arrested Cooper.

“This indictment illustrates the great work of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute crimes against children,” said Vic Reynolds, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “The GBI is committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure that child sexual exploitation cases are aggressively pursued.”

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood (PSC). The case is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and PSC Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/screven-public-safety/man-charged-with-attempted-sexual-coercion-of-columbia-county-minor/

Serial child predator sentenced to more than two decades in federal prison for attempted sexual coercion of a minor

Charges were part of Operation Broken Heart, a nationwide sting

A sex offender previously convicted in state courts has been has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison after being captured in a nationwide sting while attempting to commit additional crimes against children.

Benjamin Ray, 40, of Honea Path, S.C., was sentenced to 258 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. after pleading guilty to Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity for incidents that occurred in Chatham County, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. In addition, Ray must serve 15 years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“There will be no more opportunities for this criminal to prey on children,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “Thanks to the outstanding effort of our law enforcement partners, his days of catch and release in the system of another state are over.”

According to information presented during his sentencing hearing, Ray has a more than 20-year history as a child predator, starting at age 17 when he was convicted of molesting an 8-year-old girl. After a brief prison term he was convicted at age 22 of molesting an 11-year-old girl. After release from custody, Ray repeatedly was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender.

Ray was arrested in 2019 as part of Operation Broken Heart, a nationwide operation conducted by the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, after Ray held a vulgar online conversation with an undercover law enforcement officer whom Ray believed to be a child. During the subsequent investigation, officers found evidence that Ray was committing crimes with a real child and seeking 14-year-old victims.

“This criminal will be spending more than a year in jail for every year of his life that he has been molesting and preying on children,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Unfortunately, even a 21-and-a-half-year sentence will not restore the innocence of all the children who have fallen victim to this predator.”

Operation Broken Heart led to the arrest of nearly 1,700 suspected online child sex offenders, including two in the Southern District of Georgia. The task forces identified 308 offenders who either produced child pornography or committed child sexual abuse, and identified 357 children who suffered recent, ongoing or historical sexual

During the course of the operation, the task forces investigated more than 18,500 complaints of technology-facilitated crimes targeting children and delivered more than 2,150 presentations on internet safety to over 201,000 youth and adults.

The other Southern District defendant in the operation, Steven Andrew Ross, 30, of Savannah, was sentenced in February to 120 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood after pleading guilty to Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor.

The ICAC Program is funded through the Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).

The cases in the Southern District of Georgia were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Savannah Police Department, in conjunction with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tania Groover.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-public-safety/serial-child-predator-sentenced-to-more-than-two-decades-in-federal-prison-for-attempted-sexual-coercion-of-a-minor/

Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

A registered sex offender caught downloading child pornography, some involving very young children, during a 2018 investigation was sentenced to 136 months in prison, said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

Donald McFall, 33, of Columbus, was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Clay Land to 136 months in prison and 20 years supervised release after pleading guilty to one count possession of child pornography. McFall was convicted for sexual abuse in the 2^nd degree in the Circuit Court of Russell County, Alabama in 2015. McFall was also convicted in 2016 for felony failure to register as a sex offender in Muscogee County Superior Court. McFall will be required to continue registering as a sex offender once he is released from prison under the Sex Offender Registration Act. Failing to register as required by federal law will result in prosecution, with penalties including imprisonment and fines. There is no parole in the federal system.

A detective with the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force was conducting an investigation in January 2018 into the trading and downloading of child pornography on peer-to-peer file sharing networks. Using a peer-to-program configured for law enforcement, 20 files of child pornography were downloaded from an IP address linked to a residence in Columbus, Georgia. This IP address was traced to McFall, a registered sex offender. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence in March 2018 and arrested McFall after child pornography was discovered on his phone. McFall admitted to having more than 600 images of child pornography on his computer and cell phone, including pornography involving prepubescent children.

“For those who engage in the evil world of producing and consuming child sexual material online: Law enforcement agents are looking for you, they will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent allowed by the law,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “There is a strong network of law enforcement agencies working 24 hours a day across our state, at every level, to track down criminals exploiting children. I want to commend the FBI, the Georgia ICAC Task Force and the GBI for their non-stop commitment to protecting our children and capturing child predators, and the Columbus Police Department for their excellent work capturing this sexual offender identified by the task force.”

“McFall clearly has not learned from his prior conviction that anyone who chooses to do harm to our most vulnerable citizens is a priority for FBI investigators and all of our partners in law enforcement,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Now he will pay a further price and will not be able to threaten any more children during his federal incarceration.”

“There is a statistical correlation between those that seek out, collect and view child sexual abuse images and those that are actively molesting children. The fact that Donald McFall was a registered sex offender and previously convicted of sexual abuse proves this point,” said Debbie Garner, GBI Special Agent in Charge and Commander of the Georgia ICAC Task Force. “We will continue to try to find and rescue child victims of sexual abuse that we would not have otherwise known about by working these child sexual abuse imagery investigations.”

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Georgia ICAC Task Force, the GBI and the Columbus Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-public-safety/registered-sex-offender-sentenced-to-prison-for-possessing-child-pornography/

Convicted Felon Imprisoned For Not Registering As A Sex Offender

A former Columbus, Georgia resident and convicted sex offender who moved out of state and failed to register as a sex offender with local authorities was sentenced to prison for breaking the law, said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. John Corriher, 54, of Salisbury, North Carolina was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 to 34 months in prison and five years supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender, a federal offense. There is no parole in the federal system.

“All convicted sex offenders are required by law to register as a sex offender with the appropriate registration officials each and every time they move. Failure to do so is a federal crime and will result in prosecution by this office,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “I want to thank the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals Service for tracking down the whereabouts of this offender and for their excellent work investigating the case.”

Corriher was convicted in Florida of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors in February 2001. Following his conviction, he eventually settled in Columbus and registered annually as a sex offender through the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) from November 2010 through April 2016. Following his last registration, the defendant absconded. In February 2017, an arrest warrant was taken out by MSCO for failure to register as a state sex offender. The investigation was turned over to the United States Marshals Service (USMS) when Corriher was found to be living in Salisbury, North Carolina, where he did not register as a sex offender. He was apprehended by USMS on March 18, 2019.

The case was investigated by the USMS and the MCSO. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-public-safety/convicted-felon-imprisoned-for-not-registering-as-a-sex-offender/

FBI Releases 2017 NIBRS Crime Data,

Victims

Victim types, collected for all reported NIBRS offenses, include individuals, businesses, institutions, or society as a whole. For 2017, the data regarding victims who were individuals revealed the following:

Of the 4,524,968 individuals, 23.4 percent were between 21 and 30 years of age.
A little more than half (50.9 percent) were female, 48.3 percent were male, and the gender of 0.8 percent of victims was unknown.
Most victims (71.5 percent) were white, 21.0 percent were black or African-American,1.5 percent were Asian, 0.6 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native, and less than 0.1 percent were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The race of 5.3 percent of victims was unknown.

Known Offenders

In 2017, law enforcement identified and reported information on 5,266,175 known offenders, meaning some aspect of the suspect—such as age, gender, or race—was known.

Of these offenders, 41.9 percent were between 16 and 30 years of age.
By gender, most offenders (62.4 percent) were male, 25.5 percent were female, and gender for 12.1 percent was unknown.
By race, more than half (55.7 percent) of known offenders were white, 27.1 percent were black or African-American, and 1.9 percent were of other races. The race was unknown for 15.3 percent of reported known offenders.

Victim-to-Offender Relationships

Concerning the relationship of victims to known offenders, there were 1,448,833 victims of crimes against persons (e.g., murders, sex offenses, assault offenses) and robbery offenses from the crimes against property category.

More than half (52.2 percent) of the victims knew their offenders (or at least one offender when more than one was present) but did not have a familial relationship to them.
Nearly one quarter (24.4 percent) of the victims were related to their offenders (or at least one offender when more than one was present).

Arrestees

Law enforcement agencies submitted data to the UCR Program through incident reports and arrest reports for 3,361,416 arrestees.

Of these arrestees, 33.2 percent were 21 to 30 years of age.
By gender, 71.6 percent were male, and 28.4 percent were female.
By race, most arrestees (70.7 percent) were white, 24.5 percent were black or African-American, and 2.7 percent were of other races. The race was unknown for 2.1 percent of arrestees.

Drug/Narcotic Offenses

A brief look at data collected through NIBRS for 874,003 drug/narcotic offenses shows the more expansive data NIBRS offers, particularly offender data, and the types of connections available through NIBRS.

Law enforcement counted at least one drug/narcotic offense in 16.3 percent of all criminal incidents reported through NIBRS in 2017.
Of the 5,266,175 known offenders, 21.3 percent were connected to drug/narcotic offenses.
Of the 3,361,416 arrestees reported through NIBRS, 16.1 percent were arrested for drug/narcotic offenses.

Agency-level NIBRS data for the reporting year is available through the interactive NIBRS map found on the home page of the publication, as well as in offense tables which present statistics for each agency reporting 12 months of NIBRS data.

NIBRS in CDE

In addition to the annual NIBRS report, the FBI is making NIBRS data available through the UCR Program’s Crime Data Explorer (CDE), the FBI’s digital front door to crime data. Users can access the CDE to build customized tables and to view Summary Reporting System (SRS) data for 2017 (and some previous years) by state. As development on the CDE progresses, users will be able to download national and state-level data and view various facets of incidents, including offenses, victims, offenders, arrestees, and property.

Countdown to NIBRS 2021

With the collection of the more detailed data of NIBRS set to become the national data standard by January 1, 2021, law enforcement agencies across the nation are making the transition from the traditional SRS to NIBRS. The momentum of the transition has grown with the increased support of the Criminal Justice Information Services Advisory Policy Board, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Executive Branch of our government, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, and the Association of State UCR Programs. In addition, some states have enacted legislation compelling their agencies to submit crime data via NIBRS, and, in general, more agencies are committing to transition to NIBRS by January 1, 2021.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/national-news/fbi-releases-2017-nibrs-crime-data/

VIDEO: “One Nation” Running Ad in Georgia Senate Race

A national organization is running a new campaign ad targeting Congressman Doug Collins, who recently announced his bid for United States Senate. The ad alleges that a bill Collins’ sponsored in Congress granted early release from prison for some sex traffickers.

One Nation is a 501(c)(4) organization that runs communications on public opinion research and grassroots-level advocacy “to shape attitudes on major issues and mobilize citizens to take action by contacting and interacting with policymakers in Washington.”

From the press release:

The new spot, “Pattern,” asks Georgians to call on Congressman Doug Collins to oppose legislation that would give the opportunity to dangerous prisoners for release into the community, and to stop working with liberals in Congress to grant release from prison to some sex traffickers and other sex offenders as he has done in the past. The advocacy effort includes a $1.2 million investment on television, cable, radio, and digital.

One Nation strongly supports the efforts of President Trump to sign the First Step Act into law – which protects our communities while simultaneously giving Americans a second chance. But Congressman Doug Collins’ bill, H.R. 3356, took a sharply different tack by allowing for early release even for some sex traffickers. The Collins bill was supported by House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries and Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, among others.

Text script of the video is below the video.

We need tough laws to keep violent criminals behind bars and off the streets.

But some in Congress want to take us in a dangerously different direction.

Congressman Collins sided with liberals and proposed legislation which would have allowed early release for certain sex traffickers, even some people caught with child pornography.

We can’t let this dangerous pattern continue.

Tell Congressman Collins he needs to stop supporting early release of dangerous criminals and oppose H.R. 3795.

Source: https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-state-politics/video-one-nation-running-ad-in-georgia-senate-race/