After a three-month investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, search warrants in an Internet child porn investigation were executed Wednesday in 37 Georgia counties, including Chatham and Effingham.
It is the largest operation of its kind in Georgia conducted by the state’s ICAC Task Force, authorities reported. Ninety-eight suspects were identified as distributing child porn over the Internet.
The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office executed five search warrants on Ash Street Extension in Springfield, Neva Avenue in Savannah, East State Street in Savannah, Shirley Drive in Savannah, and the 900 block of Abercorn Street in Savannah.
Those arrested were: Joshua Conner, 26, of Savannah; Dale Andrew Davis, 21, of Savannah; Soufi Mahmoud, 25, of Savannah; William Oldfield, 34, of Springfield; and Jose Gomez, 27, of Savannah. The men were charged with sexual exploitation of a child and are being held in Effingham County jail.
Effingham deputies reported seizing 10 desktop computers, three laptops, one tablet, six cellphones and five video game consoles. Images obtained from each person arrested were of children 11 years old or younger, according to Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie.
Additionally, 70-year-old Douglas Lee Burkhalter was also arrested in Chatham County as part of the operation, GBI spokesman John Bankhead said.
Chatham County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Michelle Gavin confirmed that Burkhalter was once a major with the Savannah-Chatham police department.
Burkhalter, who once commanded the department’s special operations unit, was booked into the Chatham County jail on the charge of computer child exploitation.
Known as “Operation Guarding Innocence,” the statewide endeavor included 50 teams representing 47 federal, state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.
The operation, which ran from January through March, was conducted by GBI agents and local affiliates that are members of the Georgia ICAC Task Force, who detected specific child porn images being shared over the Internet, the GBI said.
Man sought for questioning in March 20 shooting death captured
U.S. Marshals and Savannah-Chatham police Wednesday captured a Savannah man wanted on three charges and for question in a March homicide.
Ashley Maurice Hudson, 31, was arrested by the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force in the house in the 1100 Block of East 54th Street where Achmed Kiwaan Williams was shot to death March 20, said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman.
In addition to being wanted on three warrants from the State Court of Chatham county, police had been looking for Hudson to question him in connection with Williams’ death, Miller said.
Police also arrested Hudsons’ girlfriend Ayanna Blocker Wednesday on charges of obstruction of a law enforcement officer and disorderly conduct.
Miller said Savannah-Chatham homicide detectives are continuing to investigate.
Man indicted in three burglaries
A Savannah man on Wednesday was indicted on burglary charges in three separate residential break-ins.
Devonte Dyshon Tremble, 18, unlawfully entered the home of Margaret Lewis on Lucian Circle on Sept. 13 with intent to commit a theft, the Chatham County grand jury ruled.
Tremble also unlawfully entered the home of Laura Amador on Cokesbury Drive on Dec. 18 with intent to commit a theft, the grand jury determined on testimony presented by Assistant District Attorney Sarah Moorhead. The indictment also charged him with possession of tools for the commission of the crime of burglary in the case.
And, Tremble unlawfully entered the home of Randall Smith on Harlan Drive on Jan. 16, 2012, with intent to commit theft, the grand jury said.
- Compiled by Marcus E. Howard, Corey Dickstein, Jan Skutch and Lesley Conn.