Christopher Allen Adams

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — A Loxley man was among those arrested during a mutually coordinated operation between Georgia and Alabama law enforcement agencies.

Christopher Allen Adams, 38, of Loxley was booked into the Baldwin County Corrections Facility on Wednesday, charged with possession of child pornography.

A total of 31 people were arrested during “Operation Southern Impact” in Georgia and Alabama, targeting persons who sexually exploit children by using the Internet. In Alabama, 11 people have been arrested during Operation Southern Impact. Those arrested in Alabama were charged with crimes surrounding the sexual exploitation of children. Additional charges may be forthcoming and other arrests may occur after analysis of seized digital devices.

The joint, proactive investigation was coordinated by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and focused on those who possess and distribute child pornography and those who are sexually exploiting children in other ways using the internet. The planning for Operation Southern Impact began approximately 3 months ago and culminated in 2 days of search warrant executions and arrests in Georgia and Alabama.

The Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force wanted to reinforce to those who exploit children that the ICAC Task Forces will work together to make an impact in their respective states and the region as a whole.

The cooperation among agencies and among states illustrates their level of commitment to detect, arrest, and prosecute child predators. Cooperation is always important in law enforcement, but it is never more important than when we set out to protect children. Operation Southern Impact has given us an opportunity to share our experience, information, and resources across units, agencies, and state lines, to make sure that there is no safe place to hide for criminals who would victimize the most vulnerable among us.

A total of 54 search warrants were executed in Georgia and Alabama. Law enforcement officers conducting the searches were looking for evidence of possession and distribution of child pornography using the internet as well as evidence of other child exploitation related crimes. Over the course of the operation, 162 digital devices were examined and 731 digital devices were seized as evidence.

In Alabama, the operation was a coordinated effort between the following federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency; Arab Police Department; Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office; Bessemer Police Department; Brewton Police Department; Clanton Police Department; Cullman County Sheriff’s Office; Daphne Police Department; Decatur Police Department; Enterprise Police Department; Eufaula Police Department; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Gardendale Police Department; Guntersville Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; Joint Electronic Crimes Task Force ; Leeds Police Department; Madison County Sheriff’s Office; Marshall County District Attorney’s Office; Marshall County Sheriff’s Office; Millbrook Police Department; Mobile County Sheriff’s Office; Morgan County Sheriff’s Office; Northport Police Department; Opp Police Department; Pelham Police Department; Prattville Police Department; Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office; Tuskegee Police Department; Walker County Sheriff’s Office; Wetumpka Police Department; United States Secret Service; University of Alabama Police Department.

Additional arrests in Alabama included:

•Mitchell Rainwater, 53, of Arab, for possession of child pornography.

•Randall Hughes, 23, of Athens, for possession of child pornography.

•Dennis Hudson Jr., 26, of Center Point, for possession of child pornography.

•James W. Peterson, 32, of Mississippi, for federal charges of enticement of a minor.

•Andrew Scott Blocker, 33, of Deatsville, for possession of child pornography.

•Anthony Edward Goodner, 61, of Hartselle, for possession of child pornography.

•Joesph Ganjei, 22, of Wetumpka, for possession of child pornography.

•Jonathan Sheldon, 36, of New Hope, for possession of child pornography.

•Hope Akron, of Enterprise, for possession of marijuana second degree.

•Bobby Warren, of Enterprise, for possession of marijuana second degree.

The Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force strives to protect children from sexual exploitation and arrest those that prey on our state’s most vulnerable victims.