In a significant crackdown on online child exploitation, a man from Lawrence County was among ten individuals apprehended during the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s initiative known as Operation Autumn Shield. This operation aimed to uncover and rescue child victims of online sexual exploitation and sextortion throughout the state of Tennessee. As a result of the operation, authorities successfully identified nineteen child victims, with rescue efforts completed for five of them.
Stephen Thomas Dyer, a 28-year-old resident of Lawrence County, faces charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. Law enforcement officials have indicated that further arrests may be on the horizon as the investigation continues to unfold. The operation underscores the ongoing efforts to protect children from online predators and to bring those who seek to harm them to justice.