Fourteen people, including a Conyers man, were arrested for their intent to have sex with a child as part of a recent Georgia Bureau of Investigations undercover operation.
The suspects came to DeKalb County over a four day period, from Feb. 26 to March 1, for an arrangement where they thought they would be meeting a child - 10 to 15 years old - for sex. Instead, they were arrested and charged with child exploitation and child pornography. Additional charges may be possible.
A 31-year-old musician from Conyers, Kahsi Butler, was among the suspects arrested.
The principal of a Douglas County elementary school principal, John Harold McGill, was also arrested. McGill, a principal at Mt. Caramel Elementary School, was reportedly suspended by the Douglas Count School System pending the law enforcement investigation, according to the AJC.
The following were the arrested suspects:
Kahsi Butler, 31, of Conyers (musician)
Fred Gregory Chatham, 64, of Griffin (field tech)
Benjamin Hopson, 21, of Lithonia (grocery store employee)
John Benjamin Katz, 29, of Fairburn (drafter)
Cheney Li, 22, of Atlanta (software developer)
John McGill, 56, of Villa Rica (elementary school principal)
J. B. Owen, 58, of Canton (VP of ambulance service)
Marc Matthew Peterson, 38, of Acworth (culinary business manager)
Tiana Cousteau Reese, 38, of College Park
Tracy Antonio Solomon, 50, of Stockbridge (airport crew outfitter)
Choon Hong David Tan, 52, of Johns Creek (engineer)
Richard Roger Tumlin, 49, of Winder (load operator)
Kenneth Walker, 48, of Winder (sales)
Dane Andrew Wolfe, 34, of Snellville (driver)
Thirty-seven law enforcement agencies and prosecutors participated in "Operation Broken Heart" along with the GBI's Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit and the Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center, including the Conyers Police Department and Newton County Sheriff's Office.
The purpose of "Operation Broken Heart" was to arrest persons who communicate with children on-line and then travel to meet them for the purpose of having sex, the GBI said in a released statement. 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 for the purpose for having sex.
The Georgia ICAC Task Force is comprised of 179 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, other related criminal justice agencies and prosecutor's offices. The mission of the ICAC Task Force, created by the U. S. Department of Justice and managed and operated by the GBI in Georgia, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing an effective response to cyber enticement and child pornography cases.
