According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), a collaborative effort involving 10 individuals has led to felony charges in a significant operation aimed at combating online child exploitation and sextortion in Tennessee.
The TBI has identified more than a dozen victims in “Operation Autumn Shield.”
The TBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force carried out “Operation Autumn Shield” from October to December.
The operation played a crucial role in identifying and locating children who have fallen victim to sextortion and online sexual exploitation. Moreover, it led to the successful apprehension of individuals who actively seek to harm children through online means.
During “Operation Autumn Shield,” the TBI successfully identified and located 19 child victims who had fallen prey to online sexual exploitation and sextortion.
A total of 10 individuals have been apprehended for committing a range of internet crimes against children.
TBI agents have successfully identified and located a 14-year-old male who is the founder of “101”, an online extremist group that coerces minors into self-harm and creating child sexual abuse material.
The “101” is a spin-off of “764,” which the Department of Justice defines as a network of violent extremists that tries to mainstream the production, sharing, and ownership of child sexual abuse and gore material in order to corrupt and groom their victims for future violence.
According to the TBI, agents from the Task Force successfully identified and located 14 child victims of sextortion in Tennessee. These cases were reported through NCMEC cybertips.
Authorities are currently working diligently to identify and locate an additional eight children who have fallen victim to the heinous crime of sextortion.
The children’s ages ranged from 12 to 17 years old.
Most of the victims, according to the TBI, were active on popular social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. It is worth noting that these companies were the ones who initially reported the incidents to NCMEC.
The TBI reports that the criminal generated and posted brand-new sexual exploitation footage on social media platforms, leading to the location and rescue of five of the 19 minor victims.
The law enforcement authorities apprehended the following individuals under the operation named “Operation Autumn Shield” on charges of engaging in sexual exploitation of children and other associated crimes:
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- Michael Houston Williford (DOB 11/18/1985), Sequatchie County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
- Joshua James Long (DOB 08/10/1977), Marion County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
- Rory Cullen Frerichs (DOB 02/01/2002), Polk County, one Count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
- Rodney W. Griffin (DOB 05/02/1996), Pickett County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
- Stephen Thomas Dyer (DOB 10/09/1996), Lawrence County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
- Brandon Gene Collier (DOB 03/31/1989), Henry County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
- Juvenile, 16 years old, Gibson County, one count Incest, one count Rape of a Child, one count Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
- Anthony Loughton Spicer (DOB 03/17/1965), Robertson County, three counts Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
- Wade Ellis Williams (DOB 06/20/1973), Pickett County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
- Cody Baird (DOB 01/30/2003), Cannon County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
The TBI has stated that there may be further arrests in these ongoing investigations once the forensic processing of the seized electronic devices is completed.
