Nine men arrested in Limestone County human trafficking operation
NORTH ALABAMA (WHNT) – The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) has arrested nine men from across North Alabama after an undercover child exploitation sex trafficking operation.
LCSO, along with the Athens Police Department, in conjunction with Covenant Rescue Group, a nonprofit organization based near Birmingham that focuses on bringing an end to human trafficking, conducted the investigation.
According to authorities, the offenders targeted and solicited decoys, who they believed were children, in chat rooms, social media and other sites.
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The men agreed to pay cash in exchange for sexual acts, and traveled to different locations in Limestone County.
“The purpose of this operation was to identify, investigate and arrest predators seeking to commit sexual acts with children.” Capt. Caleb Durden of the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said.
All of the men are facing charges like first-degree human trafficking, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and more.
Eight of the nine men arrested will have an Aniah’s Law hearing at the on Thursday. One of the men, Cameron Abernathy, was charged with transmitting obscene material to a child by computer, and posted a $100,000 cash bond.
You can see each man and their charges in the slideshow below:
Brandon Adamson, 31, of Athens is charged with human trafficking first degree, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office) Cameron Abernathy, 29, of Athens is charged with traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and transmitting obscene material to a child by computer. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office) Christopher Tomasello, 31, of Blountsville is charged with human trafficking first degree, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office) Bobby Pincheon, 37, of Hazel Green is charged with human trafficking first degree and traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office) Collin McGee, 30, of Athens is charged with human trafficking first degree, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office) Gilbert Jordan, 30, of Madison is charged with human trafficking first degree, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office) Jacob Farley, 22, of Huntsville is charged with human trafficking first degree, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office) Edgar Castro-Juarez, 28, of Albertville is charged with human trafficking first degree, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office) Bernardo Sanchez, 43, of Huntsville is charged with human trafficking first degree, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. (Photo: Limestone County Sheriff’s Office)
“This operation resulted from several months of planning, and we plan to build on the success of this operation and continue this important work. We remain committed to protecting those who are most vulnerable in our community by proactively disrupting the child sex trade and arresting sex traffickers,” Durden said.
Jared Hudson of the Covenant Rescue Group, advises parents to supervise and monitor all electronic devices that your children utilize; Smartphones, tablets, gaming platforms and computers are “an open door to your child’s mind.”
“Lastly, to those who wish to exploit children in the Tennessee Valley, consider this: the next time you try and chat up a child online, you just might be talking to one of our highly trained officers who will hunt you down and arrest you.”
Jared Hudson, Covenant Rescue Group
News 19 will continue to follow these cases on-air and online.
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