GBI Special Task Unit provides tips for parents
A Putnam County man was arrested on multiple counts of child exploitation and he was a repeat offender, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. The man’s arrest sparked a conversation with state authorities on what is being done to combat this type of crime and what parents need to know to keep their children safe.
James Marion Collins, 45, of Twilight Shores Road, Eatonton, and/or Crestview Road, Eatonton, was arrested Sept. 14, on six counts of sexual exploitation of a child. According to court records, Collins is accused of possessing images and videos of child sexual abuse, with the victims being young children and infants. The records also reveal that Collins is accused of distributing similar material to others online.
His attorney, J. Scott Johnson of Virgil L. Brown and Associates in Zebulon, Ga., filed for bond on Monday, according to court records, but a jail spokesperson said Collins was still being held in Putnam County jail by the newspaper’s press time on Tuesday.
Sills said his office was contacted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit regarding the CEACC’s investigation and to assist the state authorities in serving the warrants at Collins’ residence.
Putnam’s sheriff said Collins was originally arrested in 2010 for the same charge, to which Collins pled guilty. Because it was a firstoffender incident, Collins was sentenced to 10 years, with two of those to be served incarcerated and the remaining eight on probation with the requirement to complete sexual offender treatment.
“Now, if you violate the terms of your first offender probation, the judge can go back and give you the maximum sentence,” Sills explained. “So, in 2014 at a hearing for failure to seek treatment, he was sent back to prison and he got out in October 2017.”
The GBI CEACC Unit began its most recent investigation on Collins after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the possible online distribution of child sexual abuse material, states a media release from the GBI.
GBI CEACC Special Agent in Charge Renea Greene said the state’s specialized unit consists of both sworn and non-sworn individuals. A total of 16 agents covers the entire state of Georgia along with seven digital forensic investigators, she said.
“The CEACC houses the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) force,” Greene explained. “Some states have multiple ICAC forces, but Georgia has only one. … We also work with other state and local partners, so we have over 280 agencies working on these crimes, including local law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices. So, when we get a report, we can pass it along to that agency.”
She said the number of cyber reports has exponentially increased over the last 10 years because so much more technology is available and technology is inexpensive.
“Everybody has multiple devices these days,” she noted. “It’s not uncommon for one person to have a phone, a tablet and a laptop or computer.”
Greene explained that “Child Exploitation” charges can involve possession and/or distribution of child sexual abuse materials, trafficking and prostitution of children, enticing a child to participate in such acts, and/or extorting youth.
When asked about the volume of such cases in Putnam and surrounding counties and noting that child exploitation charges are not a weekly occurrence in the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office jail report, Greene said, “Obviously in more populated, metro areas, we see more cases because there’s more people; but the reality is, this is happening in every county in Georgia.”
Greene said the GBI and other agencies across the country are seeing a large increase in what they call “sextortion cases.” She said a youth may be communicating online with someone they believe to be the same age as them, so the child lets their guard down. Then, all of a sudden, the person sends an inappropriate photo of his/herself to the child and tells the child to send a similar photo back to them. Then, the person tells the child they now have their photo and unless they’re paid money, that photo will be shared online so all of their friends and family will see it.
“This is happening across Georgia and all over the country right now,” Greene said. “They are preying on the vulnerability of the child. Children need to know that it’s okay to tell authorities. Even if they’ve sent their photo, the most important thing they can do to keep this from happening again and to keep them safe is to tell the police.”
Greene’s advice to parents and community members for keeping children safe includes:
>>>Talk to your child. “The No. 1 way parents can teach their children about internet safety is just talk to their child about it,” she said. Greene notes that parents also need to be aware of what apps their children are using and what they’re doing online. She said your child may come home from school asking if they can download an app geared for children that they learned about from a friend at school.
“Be aware that predators put themselves wherever children are most likely to be,” she advised. “So if an app is designed for and is popular with children, then the predator also is on it. … In the past, we were teaching about ‘Stranger Danger,’ regarding strangers they may encounter on the street. But now, children have access to thousands of strangers at their fingertips.” >>>Take technology out of the child’s bedroom at night. “We want our child to be safe so we provide them a phone,” Greene said. “But take it out of their room at night because if a child can’t sleep or is bored or curious, that’s when they get online and start communicating with others.”
Greene said the same concept applies to adults.
“If you’re talking to people online and especially if you’re sharing personal information or photos on social media, know who it is you’re sharing with,” she said. “We tell our kids to be careful who and what they share online, but adults need to do the same.”
Anyone with information or suspicions of child exploitation should contact the GBI CEACC unit at 404-270-8870. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), or online by going to the GBI website, https://gbi. georgia.gov, and clicking on “GBI Tip Line Online Tip Form” on the home page.