MOULTRIE, Ga. — Twelve people have been charged in connection with enticing a minor for indecent purposes. Multiple law enforcement agencies joined forces in an operation centered in Colquitt County.

“Operation Heartbreak” was a three-day effort centered in Moultrie executed between Feb. 10 and Feb. 12, but it had been an active case for several months, according to a statement from Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Brian Johnston.  

“The operation took several months of planning and involved the collaboration of 12 law enforcement agencies and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. The arrestees, ranging in age from 23 to 65, traveled from areas around South Georgia with intent to meet a child for sex. Every individual arrested during the operation believed they were going to a location to meet with a child and engage in prearranged sex acts,” Johnston said in the statement.

Operation Heartbreak’s goal is to identify potential child predators who engage in “sexually explicit communication” with children on the internet, arrange to engage in a sexual act with a minor and then travel to meet them. Most of these communications occur in chat rooms, social media platforms or other websites. 

“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 of having sex … About half of the exchanges involved websites used for dating, socializing or even websites used for classified advertisements,” the statement said. 

Both boys and girls were targeted. 

Although some of the sites used were promoted as “adults-only,” law enforcement agencies still monitor these sites, according to Johnston. 

“It is not uncommon for law enforcement to work cases in which children access these sites, establish profiles claiming to be older and then find themselves vulnerable to victimization, harassment, blackmail or assault. Several subjects were identified as communicating simultaneously with multiple investigators posing as minors,” according to the statement.

This online activity confirms to undercover investigators that many predators use these websites to “groom (minors) as potential victims for sexual contact,” the release said. 

The following have been charged with computer or electronic pornography and child exploitation:

• Michael Eugene Hobbs, 65.
• Jontravious Taylor, 35.
• Stephen Butler, 45.
• Zacchaeus Emmanuel Hawkins, 38.
• Maurice Edward Kluge, 55.
• Jimmy Lee Lairsey, 46.
• Melquis Eduardo Gomez Sandoval, 24.
• Denwood Lawton Jr., 25.
• Jorge Jimenez Ramirez, 26.
• Clines Thomas Rowell, 23.
• Garry Miles Wiggins, 56.
• Kenneth Edward Wilson, 41.

The GBI did not release the hometowns of those charged, but all have been booked into the Colquitt County Jail, according to Johnston. 

The 13-agency operation was part of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children task force. The Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office was the center of the operation. CCSO investigator Christopher Robinson is the Georgia ICAC lead investigator for the sheriff’s office and was coordinator for the operation. He is in charge of all child exploitation cases for the sheriff’s office. 

“This is our first operation of this size,” Robinson said in an interview Monday. “There is still stuff that we are looking into. The task force is getting tips on a regular basis and a local ICAC representative will be able to handle the case. In the case of Colquitt County and this operation, that would be me.” 

Colquitt County Sheriff Rod Howell stated that the cooperation of law enforcement agencies is key to keeping children around the community safe.

“The Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office has no tolerance for those that seek to harm the children of our community,” Howell said in a press release. “Our participation in the Ga. ICAC Task Force and relationships with all the other law enforcement agencies involved in this operation are critical to keeping our children safe.” 

The following 13 agencies were credited in their involvement with the case:

• GBI SE Regional Drug Enforcement Office.
• GBI-Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center (GISAC).
• Georgia State Patrol.
• Gwinnett County Police Department.
• Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
• Homeland Security Investigations.
• Moultrie Police Department.
• Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office.
• Roswell Police Department.
• Thomas County Sheriff’s Office.
• Thomasville Police Department.
• United States Marshal Service.
• United States Secret Service Investigations.

Robinson stated that while he is proud of the work that has been accomplished, there is still work to be done. 

“It’s rewarding to get 12 off of the street but it is concerning just to think of how many people like this we haven’t detected,” he said.