Operation HOOK reels in 11 possible sex offenders in Whitfield County
Operation HOOK reels in sex offenders
The Whitfield County Sheriff?s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday that 11 people were arrested during a five-day undercover operation targeting child sex crimes.
WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. - The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday that 11 people were arrested during a five-day undercover operation targeting child sex crimes.
What we know:
The sting, dubbed Operation HOOK — short for "Hands Off Our Kids" — was led by the GBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with support from the sheriff’s office. Investigators posed as minors on social media, dating apps and messaging platforms to catch suspects attempting to lure children into sex acts.
Authorities said the suspects included a driver, two engineers and several factory workers. Two of those arrested were already registered sex offenders, and one was in the country illegally. Charges range from child exploitation to trafficking a person for sexual servitude.
11 arrests during Operation HOOK
Officials held a press conference on Tuesday to announce 11 arrests in Whitfield County as a result of the joint operation Operation HOOK.
"These are among the sickest, sickest types of criminals," Whitfield County Sheriff Darren Pierce said.
What they're saying:
Officials emphasized the importance of proactive enforcement. More than 38,000 child exploitation cyber tips have been reported in Georgia, and investigators say community stings like this are critical to stopping predators before children are harmed.
"These aren't just pictures. These aren't just things that exist in the deep dark web of the internet. These are folks in our community that have the willingness to do something like this to a child," said Brian Johnston, commander of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Johnston also said, "The problem of child exploitation is big. In Georgia this year, so far, we have received 38,000 cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children."
The sheriff said his office will continue to make the region an unsafe place for predators, vowing to protect children across North Georgia.
"We want to be proactive. We don't want these kids to become victims. That's why we're taking this approach to get them before they attack our children," Sheriff Pierce said.
The following people were arrested and charged:
- Daniel Joseph Clark, 54, of Cohutta— Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Swami Shinde, 28, of Cleveland, TN — Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Jared Malbrough, 24, of Smyrna — Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Corey Huff, 40, of Calhoun — Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Rolando Mendez-Bamaca, 28, of Chattanooga, TN — Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Enrique Lopez, 56, of Dalton — Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Mark Andrade, 33, of Dalton — Violation of the Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 2007
- Vaughn Scarbrough, 54, of Dandridge, TN — Criminal Attempt Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Brandon Bolick, 27, of Calhoun — Criminal Attempt Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Jonathan Monroe, 51, of Tunnel Hill — Criminal Attempt Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude
- Joshua Molina, 36, of Dalton — Violation of the Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 2007
What you can do:
Anyone with information about these cases or other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at404-270-8870 or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.