Travelers in our midst

There are some sick, perverted people in our midst, but unfortunately they don’t stick out like a zit on your cheek. I wish they did, it would make parenting easier. In criminal justice, one such class of horrible person is called a traveler. People (almost exclusively men) who travel, sometimes great distances, to have sex with a child.

For this column, I’m not talking about teachers who seduce children, or uncles who molest nieces or nephews, or even neighbors who victimize area kids. All of those are equally horrific.

For this column, I’m discussing someone who befriends a “child” online with the goal of having sex with that child. It’s horrible, as is all child molestation.

My first exposure to the traveler world came from two Houston County deputies and legends, Lt. Randy Banks and Sgt. Darin Meadows. Early in my first term as district attorney (1997-2000), Randy and Darin came to my office to educate me about travelers. 

I’d never heard of the term or knew anything about the idea that people would use the burgeoning Internet to solicit kids for sex. It is an age old crime, just modernized to take advantage of the newfangled World Wide Web.

I knew a little about chat rooms on AOL, but that was to meet other MGB enthusiasts, or photographers, or whatever hobby you are into. Alas, some people have a perverse hobby and chat rooms were all the rage.

So we discussed protocols to start investigating these crimes. Banks and Meadows had far more ideas and knowledge than I, but together we developed rules for how the investigations would take place. We were breaking new ground as it had never been done in Georgia.

Child predation was, sadly, so prevalent that we were soon deluged with cases. When a traveler would come to Warner Robins to meet a 13-year-old at the mall or hamburger joint, they wouldn’t meet their fantasy teen but two deputies who had looks only their mothers could love. I’m joking, sort of, but they sure weren’t petite middle schoolers.

The evidence was so damning that every predator pleaded guilty. One well-funded traveler actually appealed, pre-trial, on the general concept that he could not have committed a crime because there was no child, but the appellate court sided with the legality of the prosecution. It was the first such case to appeal that issue in Georgia! As innovative as I’d like to think I was, this was all Randy and Darin. They were the innovators, and Sheriff Talton supported them.

My first jury trial was actually not a traveler that we knew about, but one that targeted a middle schooler unknown to law enforcement. It was her astute mother and her schoolmate ratting her out that led to the traveler’s capture, just before the young lady became a victim. The case went to trial and it didn’t go well for the pervert. He drove 300 miles one way several times to set up his illicit rendezvous, leaving his wife and six-year-old daughter at home. The jury took two minutes to convict him.

Over the ensuing years, Banks and Meadows went from being students to becoming renowned teachers, known nationwide for their understanding of how to capture these villains. A recent sting in neighboring Peach County shows that this disturbing behavior still abounds in our society.

The best protection for your kids? Vigilance. Being intrusive. Spyware on your kids’ phones. Your kids are entitled to NO SECRETS! They have no privacy rights. You are entitled to know who their friends are, where they are 24/7, what’s in their rooms, and mostly, that your kids tell you anything and everything.

It’s really tough to catch sophisticated predators today because gaming rooms are private and the predator is willing to spend days gaining a kid’s trust. Law enforcement can’t do it all, because as incredible as Randy and Darin are, and all their law enforcement colleagues, they can’t protect your kids 100% of the time. Be a parent. Because molesters don’t have a “look.”

Kelly Burke was born in Knoxville where he spent his younger years, followed by high school years in Atlanta where he graduated from Georgia Tech, and then graduated from Mercer Law School. He has been in private practice, a magistrate judge, and an elected district attorney. He writes about the law, politics, music, and Ireland. He and his wife enjoy gardening, playing with their Lagotto Ramanolo named George Harrison, and spending time with their grandchildren. To see this column or Kelly’s archives, visit www.kellyrburke.com. You can email Kelly at dakellyburke@gmail.com.