Five Northeast Georgia men are among 76 arrested in a multi-state criminal operation that distributed child pornography, officials announced on Friday.
Operation Southern Impact II started back in November, and culminated in a two-day operation of search warrants and undercover work to not only included the arrests of the 76 suspects but saved 13 children in the process, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The arrestees from our area are:
- Tony Burton, 52, of Lawrenceville, who is unemployed
- Eric A. Burgess, 17, of Suwanee, who is a student
- Jeffery Declouet, 46, of Suwanee, who is an IT support employee
- Gordon L. Ingebritsen, 53, of Duluth, who is unemployed
- John Clark Miller, 57, of Winder, who is a technician with a glass company
During the operation, law enforcement previewed or seized nearly 2,000 "digital devices," more than 10-percent of which were mobile phones.
34 of the arrests happened in Georgia, with six attempting to meet a minor for sex and four being registered sex offenders who were dealing in child pornography.
Officials said more charges and arrests are likely in the case, once all the seized devices can be properly analyzed.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office, Barrow County Sheriff's Office, Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Duluth Police Department, Gwinnett County Police Department and Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office were among the agencies participating in the operation.
Click here for a complete list of those charged in the case, as well as the participating agencies.
