A total of 76 people were arrested across the southeastern U.S. for sexually exploiting children.
Eight of those arrests came from North Carolina.
The NC SBI says the arrests were all part of "Operation Southern Impact II" - a multi-state effort to nab sexual predators.
Thirteen children were rescued or identified as victims during the multi-state investigation in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
In North Carolina alone, eight children were rescued or removed from abusive situations.
Those arrested ranged in age from 17 to 73, and their jobs ranged from pastor, to magician, to non-profit worker.
Here are some case examples from North Carolina:
Currituck County: A Moyock man was arrested for child porn. Detectives say 73-year-old Richard Wayne Bell was a church deacon and also served as an administrator in the church's daycare program.
Durham: An undocumented immigrant who worked as a traveling pastor in the Hispanic community used a fake Facebook account to get a 14-year-old Virginia girl to send him sexually explicit videos of herself. SBI agents say 35-year-old Juarez Saravia was charged with First Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Second Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and Indecent Liberties with a Child. Investigators believe there could be more child victims. The SBI is also concerned Saravia may have victims who are also undocumented immigrants, and thus less likely to report him.
Macon County: A 36-year-old man is accused of touching as many as five children in a sexual manner. Sheriff's detectives say he may have more victims in other states because he is a traveling construction worker. The investigation is ongoing.
Cherokee County: A 37-year-old registered sex offender was arrested for using teen girls to traffic drugs. Sheriff's detectives say the man did not report an address change when he moved within 290 feet of a local high school.
Guilford County: Sheriff's detectives seized child porn from a registered sex offender who was working as a magician at children's events.
Rowan County: A 21-year-old man admitted trying to extort a 17-year-old Canadian girl if she didn't send him more nude photos. The SBI says the girl received nude photos of herself from an anonymous Snapchat user, who demanded more nude photos. The girl recognized the photos as some that she had taken and send to a boyfriend at age 14. She thought at the time that the photos had been deleted by the boyfriend. The girl reported the sextortion attempt to Ontario law enforcement who tracked the cyber stalker to Rowan County.
Monroe: A 7-year-old girl was rescued from an abusive situation after police acted on a Cybertip about a child in danger. The investigation is ongoing and the child is now safe.
The SBI says during the course of the operation, some investigations extended into other states including Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. SBI says leads were sent to those states' Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces for further investigation.
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