Decatur, GA (August 31, 2023) – Twenty-six individuals were arrested over an eleven-day period in a statewide child exploitation operation named “Operation Sneaky Peach.”  The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit along with 24 participating agencies that are all part of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force participated in the operation.   

Operation Sneaky Peach was a statewide, multi-jurisdictional coordinated effort by all agencies involved to identify and arrest individuals involved in technology facilitated crimes against children. Operation Sneaky Peach involved 3 months of planning and included both proactive and reactive cases investigated by the GBI and affiliate agencies with the Georgia ICAC Task Force.  Proactive investigations consisted of targeting peer-to-peer network users sharing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), commonly known as child pornography, and undercover chat investigations targeting those that communicate with and arrange to meet what is believed to be a child for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts. Reactive investigations consisted of working CyberTips received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that involved the possession, distribution, and/or manufacturing of CSAM.   

During Operation Sneaky Peach, law enforcement agencies with the Georgia ICAC Task Force executed 34 residential search warrants and 3 additional enforcement actions in 28 counties across the State of Georgia. These search warrants and other enforcement actions resulted in the arrest of 26 individuals. Digital forensic investigators previewed 296 electronic devices on scene and seized 281 electronic devices to include cellular phones, tablets, computers, hard drives, and various electronic data storage devices. Operation Sneaky Peach identified 30 children that were residing in households where online child sexual exploitation was occurring.  Four of those arrested during Operation Sneaky Peach admitted to current or prior hands-on sexual offenses against a child.     

The following individuals were arrested during Operation Sneaky Peach and charged with Sexual Exploitation of Children and other related offenses. They were booked into the county jails as listed below.   

Randy Ho, age 22, of Forest Park, Georgia (Clayton County) 

William Ellis, age 33, of Cleveland, Georgia (White County) 

Russell Summerville, age 38, of Athens, Georgia (Clarke County) 

Jeffery Lynn, age 51, of Rossville, Georgia (Walker County) 

Michael Beane, age 58, of Waycross, Georgia (Ware County) 

James Lail, age 48, of Macon, Georgia (Jones County) 

Jeremy Gunn, age 33, of Fayetteville, Georgia (Fayette County) 

Douglas Strong, age 64, of Auburn, Georgia (Barrow County) 

Bennie House, age 35, of East Ellijay, Georgia (Gilmer County) 

Thaddeus Anderson, age 34, of Canton, Georgia (Cherokee County) 

Jimmy Evans, age 65, of Milledgeville, Georgia (Baldwin County) 

Paul Angel, age 70, of Danielsville, Georgia (Madison County) 

Trent Bailey, age 33, of Hartwell, Georgia (Hart County) 

Brian Jones, age 38, of Roopville, Georgia (Heard County) 

Ethan Cook, age 18, of Canton, Georgia (Cherokee County) 

Carl Hill, age 42, of Cartersville, Georgia (Bartow County) 

Damian Wright, age 22, of Acworth, Georgia (Bartow County) 

Dustin Bohrer, age 39, of St. Simons Island, Georgia (Glynn County) 

Carey William Wiley Lewis, age 35, of Savannah, Georgia (Chatham County) 

Christopher Williams, age 37, of Hinesville, Georgia (Liberty County) 

Kieran Michael O’Connor, age 31, of Hinesville, Georgia (Liberty County) 

Trevious Murrell, age 35, of Americus, Georgia (Sumter County) 

Jesse Kelley, age 31, of Talking Rock, Georgia (Pickens County) 

David Latta, age 52, of Lawrenceville, Georgia (Gwinnett County) 

Zachary Mitchell Allen, age 40, of Decatur, Georgia (DeKalb County)  

 

In addition to those listed, one offender was a minor and was served with a juvenile complaint.   

More arrests may be forthcoming in this investigation once complete forensic processing of the seized electronic devices have occurred.   

The following Georgia ICAC Task Force affiliate agencies participated in Operation Sneaky Peach: 

Athens-Clarke County Police Department 

Barrow County Sheriff’s Office 

Bartow County Sheriff’s Office 

Bryan County Sheriff’s Office 

Candler County Sheriff’s Office 

Camden County Sheriff’s Office 

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office 

Fayette County Sheriff’s Office 

Federal Bureau of Investigation 

Georgia Bureau of Investigation 

Georgia State Patrol 

Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office 

Gwinnett County Police Department 

Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office 

Hall County Sheriff’s Office 

Heard County Sheriff’s Office 

Homeland Security Investigations 

Houston County Sheriff’s Office 

Jones County Sheriff’s Office 

Naval Criminal Investigative Service 

Polk County Police Department 

Richmond County Sheriff’s Office 

Rincon Police Department 

St. Mary’s Police Department 

United States Secret Service  

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the trading of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The ICAC Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of CSAM and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims. 

Anyone with information about these cases, or other cases of child exploitation, is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Unit at 404-270-8870. 

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. 

Contact

Special Agent in Charge Brian Johnston

[email protected]