A two-week operation in Mississippi has yielded 61 arrests connected to a statewide crackdown on child exploitation.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, alongside Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Matt Reidell, Southern District U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger, Northern District U.S. Attorney Scott Leary, and more than a dozen federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, announced the completion of Operation Muddy Waters, an initiative aimed at protecting children from online crimes.
Officials announced that law enforcement arrested 13 individuals for charges related to child exploitation and 48 absconders for sex offender registry noncompliance, seized more than 50 devices, served more than eight search warrants, and secured three immigration detainers as a result of the operation.
“Those who choose to hide behind a computer screen to exploit children will not remain hidden,” Reidell said. “Operation Muddy Waters demonstrates HSI’s unwavering commitment to protecting children, supporting victims, and holding offenders accountable. We will continue working with our federal, state and local partners to bring these crimes to light, pursue those responsible and help prevent further harm.”
The following agencies participated in the operation:
- Bay St. Louis Police Department
- Biloxi Police Department
- Desoto County Sheriff’s Office
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Forrest County Sheriff’s Office
- Harrison County Sheriff’s Office
- Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
- Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office
- Lee County Sheriff’s Office
- Leland Police Department
- Marshall County Sheriff’s Office
- Mississippi Bureau of Investigation
- Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
- Oxford Police Department
- Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department
- Stone County Sheriff’s Office
- U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries
- Wiggins Police Department
“Let today’s message be heard loud and clear: if you exploit a child, if you traffic a child, or if you prey on the most vulnerable among us, we will use every lawful tool available to identify you, arrest you, prosecute you, and seek the toughest sentence the law permits,” Kruger said.
Operation Muddy Waters ran from July 20-31, with partnering agencies coordinating search warrants and arrests. The operation also included a sex offender compliance check to locate and identify sex offender registry absconders.
