NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Twelve people were nabbed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for sextortion and using children for their own gain online.
Operation Protecting Tomorrow was the name of the three-month study that the TBI did in 21 counties across the state.
Their job was to find and identify children who had been sexually exploited or sextorted. Also arrested were people who planned to hurt children online.
The TBI found and named 18 child victims in Tennessee. Cybertips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were used to report those victims. TBI said it found one person dead in Alabama.
Five victims were found and saved by the authorities. Agents are still looking for 22 more children between the ages of 11 and 17 who were hurt.
The following people were arrested as part of Operation Protecting Tomorrow by the TBI.
- John Vincent, 53, of Murfreesboro: Using a child for sexual gain (x2).
- Courtney Staggs, 29, of Jamestown, is charged with aggravated rape of a child, aggravated sexual battery, and especially severe sexual exploitation of a minor (x6).
- Cody Wilson, 31, of Columbia, was charged with soliciting the sexual exploitation of a child and exploitation of a minor through electronic means.
- Sexual abuse of a child by Kyle Shaddon, 28, in Paris (x3).
- Very bad sexual exploitation of a minor, very bad sexual exploitation of a minor, Justin Farris, 41, located in Paris.
- Police in Somerville have charged Marcus Puryear, 47, with sexual exploitation of a child (20 times) and aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor (20 times).
- Shawn Steven, 32, of Decatur: making sexual advances on a child (x5).
- Cody Gunter, 29, of Niota and charged with sexual exploitation of a child and solicitation of a minor.
- Johnathan Curtis, 32, of McMinnville: Using a child for sexual gain.
- Clifton Johnston, 38, of McMinnville: Using a child for sexual gain.
- Garry Alford, 42, of McMinnville: Using a child for sexual gain.
- Ernest Brown, 45, of Paris: child sexual exploitation (x6), child sexual exploitation with a child as a child (x2).