BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — 12 people were arrested during a massive three-day investigation aimed at uncovering child predators traveling to Bartow County, many under the impression that they were meeting a child for sex.
The investigation, known as “Operation Golden Eagle,” was done to identify those sending sexually explicit content to children or reaching out to minors for the “purpose of having sex,” according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators believe the 12 arrested used online platforms to share sexually explicit content with children.
Police arrested 11 of them while they were trying to meetup with a child. They were under the notion that they were meeting a child for sex. Some even offered to pay minors for sex, investigators said.
Prior to the meetups, many of the alleged predators would send sexually explicit content to children, encouraging them to send back nude photos.
One person was arrested after being found with child pornography. Police found the material on several electronic devices during a search, the release said.
All the suspects were from Georgia counties, including Cobb, Gwinnett, Bartow Floyd and Madison Counties.
A dozen law enforcement agencies conducted the investigation. Some of them were federal and state investigators from both metro Atlanta and rural counties.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office even took to Twitter to share a post from the GBI, with a caption that read, “proud to be part of the team in this undercover investigation.”
Agencies are urging people to call the GBI’s Child Exploitation Unit at 404-270-8870 if they have information about a child that might have been exploited.
Those who need would like to submit an anonymous tip online can do so here.
