LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. — Nine men were charged with crimes including Human Trafficking, Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act, and Electronic Solicitation of a Child after a multi-agency undercover operation in Limestone County. The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, Athens Police Department, and Covenant Rescue Group all participated in the action.
Eight of the men are in custody with one free on a $100,000 bond. The Limestone County Sheriff's Office says the purpose of the undercover operation was to "identify, investigate, and arrest predators seeking children for sexual acts." According to investigators, the men charged allegedly targeted and solicited decoys who they believed to be children who they found through chat rooms, social media, and other online sites. They then allegedly agreed on cash payments and came to set locations in Limestone County to engage in those illegal acts.
Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin advises parents to supervise and monitor all electronic devices that your children utilize, saying, "These devices, such as smartphones, tablets, video gaming platforms, and computers, are an open door to your child's mind. If unguarded, I assure you these online predators will be looking. "
And to those who might be tempted to prey on children, he says, "Consider this: the next time you try and chat up a child online, you just might be talking to one of our highly trained officers who will hunt you down and arrest you."
These are the men who have been charged:
Gilbert Jordan (30) of Madison, AL
- Human Trafficking First Degree
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
- Electronic Solicitation of a Child
Brandon Adamson (31) of Athens, AL
- Human Trafficking First Degree
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
- Electronic Solicitation of a Child
Edgar Castro-Juarez (28) of Albertville, AL
- Human Trafficking First Degree
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
- Electronic Solicitation of a Child
Christopher Tomasello (31) of Blountsville, AL
- Human Trafficking First Degree
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
- Electronic Solicitation of a Child
Bernardo Sanchez (43) of Huntsville, AL
- Human Trafficking First Degree
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
- Electronic Solicitation of a Child
Cameron Abernathy (29) of Athens, AL $100,000 cash bond
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
- Transmitting Obscene Material to a Child by Computer
Jacob Farley (22) of Huntsville, AL
- Human Trafficking First Degree
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
- Electronic Solicitation of a Child
Collin McGee (30) of Athens, AL
- Human Trafficking First Degree
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
- Electronic Solicitation of a Child
Bobby Pincheon (37) of Hazel Green, AL
- Human Trafficking First Degree
- Traveling to Meet a Child for Unlawful Sex Act
