July 27, 2016
Cybertip Leads to Arrest of Registered Sex Offender
Atlanta, Georgia – A joint investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit and the Atlanta Police Department led to the arrest of a registered sex offender Monday evening, July 25, 2016 at a Northwest Atlanta residence. Joshua Andrew Harris, 36 years of age, was arrested and charged with two counts of Aggravated Child Molestation, Criminal Attempt to Commit Child Molestation, and Furnishing Obscene Materials to a Minor. Investigators also executed a search warrant at Harris’s residence, 2393 Baker Road NW, Atlanta, Georgia, which resulted in the seizure of several electronic devices.
The investigation was initiated after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The cybertip involved two individuals who were chatting on an internet messaging application. The conversation appeared to be between an adult, later identified as Harris, and a 13 year old child. Harris allegedly sent sexually explicit photographs to the child and then met with the child to engage in sexual activities. Harris was arrested and transported to the Fulton County jail.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is the host agency for the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children’s (ICAC) Task Force. The Atlanta Police Department is an active member of the Georgia ICAC Task Force and the two agencies routinely work together in matters of child exploitation. This case is a great example of cooperation between law enforcement agencies, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Internet Service Providers in order to identify and hold accountable those that exploit children. It also illustrates that on-line communication is often times more than just simple communication or “fantasy” talk.
The GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit will conduct forensic analysis of the electronic devices belonging to Harris. As part of the investigation, investigators will be looking for any other communications Harris might have had with other child victims. If anyone has any information concerning Joshua Harris, please contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or the GBI Tip Line at 1-800-597-8477.