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The Troup County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, the Newnan Police Department Vice Unit, and Homeland Security Investigations, conducted and arrested 11 suspects in an undercover operation targeting human and sex trafficking.

TCSO Sgt. Stewart Smith said that the sting began at approximately 5 p.m. Thursday night and concluded at 5 a.m. Friday morning.

The 11 arrested were the following: Ernest Willie Parham Jr. for pandering, Kenyonus Kenslow Card for possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies and pimping; Allison Baughns for prostitution; Uniqua Douglas for prostitution; Shawn Michael Mullins for pandering; Crystal Beverly Reynolds for prostitution; Yobani Hidalgo for pandering; Chanel Crook for possession of cocaine, prostitution, fugitive from justice; Christopher Todd Harvel for pandering; Ciara Robinson for prostitution; and David Jackson Shellnutt Jr. for pandering.

According to Parham’s Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, he currently serves as senior pastor and CEO of The Sound Doctrine Deliverance Church INC and the Sound Doctrine Christian Academy. The profession of the other 10 arrested individuals is unclear at this time.

Under Georgia State Law, a person commits the offense of pandering when he or she solicits a person to perform an act of prostitution in his or her own behalf or in behalf of a third person or when he or she knowingly assembles persons at a fixed place for the purpose of being solicited by others to perform an act of prostitution.

TCSO Sgt. Stewart Smith said the investigation has been ongoing for several weeks.

According to Smith, the operation began with identifying advertisements of prostitution and investigating the individuals placing those advertisements on digital platforms. After making contact with these individuals through telephone calls and text messages, commitments were made for sexual acts for money.

Stewart said that when the individuals arrived at a pre-determined meeting place, they were taken into custody for their offenses.

TCSO could not release the location of the operation due to it still being an ongoing investigation.

“I appreciate our officers and the officers from the other agencies that worked on this,” Sheriff James Woodruff said. “We work together to try and stop sex trafficking. It is a very important and very serious thing that is happening in America. We are going to do all we can here in Troup County to stop it.”