A four day operation has busted over 20 people in and around Georgia for criminal attempt to commit child molestation.
The multi-agency sting known as “Operation Mayday” was coordinated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC), the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
22 people were arrested beginning May14 and continuing over four days.
http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html
“Operation Mayday” was centered in Richmond County, Ga. The operation took months of planning.
The arrestees, ranging in age from 19 to 52, traveled from areas around Augusta and from South Carolina with the intent to meet a child for sex.
Some of their occupations included actor, funeral home director, tire salesman, electrician, software programmer, correctional officer, pharmacy tech, student, and deputy jailer.
The purpose of “Operation Mayday” was to arrest those who communicate with children online and then travel to meet them to have sex. Online child predators visit chat rooms and websites on the internet, find children, begin conversations with them, introduce sexual content and arrange a meeting with the children.
The children these predators target are both boys and girls. In addition, the operation targeted those that are willing to exploit children by purchasing sex with a minor and the recruitment of victims of child sex trafficking.
The proactive online investigation was a coordinated effort among all the law enforcement agencies to combat this activity.
The following were arrested and charged in Richmond County as part of “Operation Mayday”:
Thomas Michael Moxley, Jr., 43, from Aiken, S.C. – tire store employee
Cody Allen Bondurant, 23, from Martinez, Ga. – actor
Paul Ellis Kitchens, 44, from Augusta, Ga. – funeral home director
Richard Dean Tyndall, 24, from Evans, Ga. – electrician
Leon Cornelius Holley, 20, from Grovetown, Ga. – retail stocker
John Kenneth Crowley, 30, from Augusta, Ga. – unemployed
Kyle Andrew Negus, 26, from Augusta, Ga. – software programmer
Travis Demond Driggers, 34,from Louisville, Ga. – correctional officer
Matthew Kyle Sears, 25, from Augusta, Ga. – tire store employee
Matthew Robert Tyndall, 25, from Augusta, Ga. – restaurant manager
Cody Justin Pobanz, 27, from Augusta, Ga. – crane tech
Christopher Anthony Titre, 22, from Martinez, Ga. – grocery store employee
Jordan Andrew Waters, 22, from Beach Island, S.C. – pharmacy tech
Ruben Ellis Reese, 52, from Martinez, Ga. – deputy jailer
Nicholas Sebastian Barber, 23, from Martinez, Ga. – pool attendant
Ian B. Shelby, 25, from Martinez, Ga. – university student
Everett Ryan Lewis, 21, from Baxley, Ga. – laborer
Heather Elyssa Myers, 19, from Fort Gordon, Ga. – soldier
Reginald Martinez Grubbs, 40, Waynesboro, Ga. – truck driver
Jordan Blake Roberts, 21, Grovetown, Ga. – airman
Nicholas Michael Hopkins, 25, Evans, Ga. – landscaper
Tyler Alexander Judkins, 19, Evans, Ga. – student
Six of those arrested also admitted to previous sexual contact with children. One offender arrived with two firearms in his vehicle. Additionally, multiple phones and digital devices were seized.
Those devices will be processed and analyzed and additional charges may be filed after reviewing the results of that analysis.
Additional charges may be forthcoming
