A three month operation organized by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and executed with the help of nearly 20 local, state, and federal law enforcement partners has resulted in the arrests of 12 people on child sex crime charges.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Protecting Tomorrow,” was designed to “identify and locate children who were victims of sextortion and online sexual exploitation, along with identifying and arresting individuals who aim to harm children online,” according to TBI.
Specifically, TBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within its Cybercrime and Digital Evidence Unit (CDEU) coordinated the effort.
“We’ve had agents assigned to work ICAC cases for many years now. The operation we announced today was a concerted and concentrated effort to work alongside our local and federal partners to accelerate impact,” TBI spokesman Josh Devine told The Tennessee Star Monday.
From February to April, the law enforcement entities collected tips from the community, from undercover investigations, and from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The following 12 people were arrested and charged, according to TBI:
1. John Vincent, 53, Murfreesboro: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (2 Counts)
2. Courtney Staggs, 29, Jamestown: Aggravated Rape of a Child (1 Count), Aggravated Sexual Battery (1 Count), Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (6 Counts), Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (6 Counts)
3. Cody Wilson, 31, Columbia: Solicitation of a Minor (1 Count), Soliciting Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Exploitation of a Minor by Electronic Means (1 Count)
4. Kyle Shaddon, 28, Paris: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (3 Counts)
5. Justin Farris, 41, Paris: Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count), Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count)
6. Marcus Puryear, 47, Somerville: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (20 Counts), Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (20 Counts)
7. Shawn Steven, 32, Decatur: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (5 Counts)
8. Cody Gunter, 29, Niota: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count), Solicitation of a Minor (1 Count)
9. Johnathan Curtis, 32, McMinnville: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count)
10. Clifton Johnston, 38, McMinnville: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count)
11. Garry Alford, 42, McMinnville: Sexual Exploitation of Minor (1 Count)
12. Ernest Brown, 45, Paris: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (6 Counts), Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (2 Counts)
Some of the other law enforcement agencies involved in the operation included the Fayette County, Henry County, Johnson County, Maury County, McMinn County and Meigs County, Rutherford County and Warren County Sheriff’s Departments, as well as local law enforcement in Texas and Illinois.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Secret Service were also involved.
Devine pointed The Star to TBI’s annual report for more information about sex crimes investigations. That report says that ICAC and CDUE agents “processed 1,514 CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children” in Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
“Of the 1,514 leads received, 1,472 involved possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), nine involved the molestation of a minor, 25 involved the online enticement of children for sexual acts, two involved trafficking, two involved unsolicited obscenity directed to a child, and four involved sextortion,” according to the report.
The operation report was announced by TBI Director David Rausch (pictured above) in a Monday press conference. Watch the full event:
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Image “TBI Operation Protecting Tomorrow” by TBI.
