Twelve people from all over Tennessee were arrested after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) looked into cases of child abuse and sextortion. One of the men was from the Mid-South.
The study lasted from February to April, and the TBI said that 18 children had been sextorted in 21 counties in Tennessee. The TBI said that those kids were reported missing to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children through social media sites like Snapchat and Instagram.
Agents are still trying to find and name 22 kids between the ages of 11 and 17 who have been extorted. The details of the arrested individuals are:
1. John Vincent, 53, Murfreesboro: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (2 Counts)
2. Courtney Staggs, 29, Jamestown: Aggravated Rape of a Child (1 Count), Aggravated Sexual Battery (1 Count), Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (6 Counts), Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (6 Counts)
3. Cody Wilson, 31, Columbia: Solicitation of a Minor (1 Count), Soliciting Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Exploitation of a Minor by Electronic Means (1 Count)
4. Kyle Shaddon, 28, Paris: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (3 Counts)
5. Justin Farris, 41, Paris: Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count), Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count)
6. Marcus Puryear, 47, Somerville: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (20 Counts), Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (20 Counts)
7. Shawn Steven, 32, Decatur: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (5 Counts)
8. Cody Gunter, 29, Niota: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count), Solicitation of a Minor (1 Count)
9. Johnathan Curtis, 32, McMinnville: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count)
10. Clifton Johnston, 38, McMinnville: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (1 Count)
11. Garry Alford, 42, McMinnville: Sexual Exploitation of Minor (1 Count)
12. Ernest Brown, 45, Paris: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (6 Counts), Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (2 Counts)