Two local men arrested in Harris County after an investigation targeting child predators remain in that county’s jail because they haven’t made their $40,000 bonds, Sheriff Mike Jolley said Thursday.

Marvin Harris Smith, 35, of Tifton, is charged with criminal attempt to commit child molestation and obscene Internet contact.

“We’re going to seek an indictment for criminal attempt to entice a child for indecent purposes too,” Jolley said.

Jacob Joseph Cason, 31, of Nashville, was charged with criminal attempt to commit child molestation, obscene Internet contact, criminal attempt to entice a child for indecent purposes and furnishing obscene materials to a minor. Jolley said Cason e-mailed lewd pictures of himself to a girl he believed was 15 years old or younger.

The sting resulting in 20 arrests was the result of “Operation Predator” which involved several law enforcement agencies and Chris Hansen of the NBC “Dateline” show “To Catch a Predator.” The episode featuring Harris County is expected to air around Sept. 18.

Jolley said that 274 of the 1,000 people who talked in online chat rooms with investigators continued to do so even after they knew or suspected the person they were talking to was 15 years old or younger. Out of the 274, 113 showed an interest in making contact and having sexual intercourse with them in Harris County.

Twenty have so far been charged.

“We wanted our parents in the local area to be made aware that even though their child was in the home, there is a danger,” Jolley said. “We take our kids to the park and to the mall and warn them about talking to strangers, but we allow strangers to come into our house and into our child’s bedroom over the Internet.”

Jolley said that parents should consider purchasing software that allows them to track and monitor what goes on their computers. Some software, he said, will give them access to any password their child will have.

“You are going to have some left-wing liberal who says that we should not be able to monitor like that because it is an invasion of privacy,” Jolley said. “I tend to believe that children will be children and if we don’t give them some guidelines and boundaries, they’ll just keep going.”

Jolley has Tifton ties. His father, Dub, graduated in 1952 from Tifton High School and was captain of the Blue Devil football team, Jolley said.



To contact city editor Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.