A human trafficking sting has led to the arrest of a top administrator for the Pentagon’s school system in the Americas region, the Daily Caller News Foundation reports.

Stephen Francis Hovanic, 64, of Sharpsburg, Georgia, was arrested on suspicion of pandering, according to a press release the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office provided the outlet.

 

Chuck Callesto writes:

Biden Pentagon Official in Charge of Department Managing ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Detained in HUMAN TRAFFICKING Operation..

On November 15, Stephen Francis Hovanic, a senior official with the Pentagon’s Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) Americas division, was apprehended in Coweta County, Georgia, as part of a human trafficking operation.

Aged 64 and hailing from Sharpsburg, Georgia, Hovanic was taken into custody under the suspicion of pandering, as detailed in a press release from the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, shared with the DCNF.

Eva Tedder, an administrator at the sheriff’s office, reported that Hovanic disclosed to the jail personnel his employment with the Department of Defense (DOD) based in Peachtree City, Georgia.

This location is also where the DODEA’s Americas division operates, as per the information on the agency’s website.

The two-day trafficking operation in Coweta County led to the arrest of more than two dozen people, WSB-TV reports.

“During the two days, six victims of human trafficking were rescued and moved to safety,” the outlet noted.

Collin Rugg writes:

Pentagon official Stephen Francis Hovanic reportedly arrested in a human trafficking sting in Georgia where over 2 dozen people were arrested for pandering, drug possession, prostitution & pimping.

It gets worse. Hovanic worked for the Department of Defense, specifically overseeing elementary schools for the Pentagon.

Six women have been identified as victims in the sting.

“The victims were taken to an undisclosed ‘safe house,’ where they will receive the help they need to move forward from the heinous crime of human trafficking,” said Sgt. Toby Nix.

“Pandering is not a victimless crime, as the demand for prostitution drives the s*x trafficking market.”

Daily Caller reports:

A booking photo of Hovanic, which the Coweta County sheriff’s office shared with the DCNF, shows a man who closely resembles the man in DODEA Americas Chief of Staff Stephen Hovanic’s biography on the agency’s website. Photos of both men show a distinctive scar across the chin.

The biography also states that Hovanic lives in Sharpsburg, Georgia.

Hovanic was one of more than two dozen arrests over a two-day operation meant to locate victims of human trafficking, the Newnan Times-Herald reported. Six women, identified as victims of human trafficking, were rescued in the operation, which saw arrests on charges of pandering, drug possession, prostitution and pimping, according to the press release.

DODEA Americas and Hovanic did not respond to calls and emailed requests for comment.

WSB-TV provided the names of the arrested individuals in the operation:

In total, 26 people were arrested, including 12 for prostitution, 10 for pandering and four for pimping. Three suspects are currently under investigation for human trafficking and drug charges, according to Haralson County officials.

The following include the arrests and list of charges:

  • Miguel Garcia- Pandering
  • Davian Harding- Pandering
  • Deontavius Pittman-Pandering, possession of ecstasy
  • Octavian Brown- Pandering, possession w/intent to distribute
  • Jose Gonzalez- Avarca – Pandering
  • Stephen Hovanic -Pandering
  • Michael Matherne -Pandering
  • Donald McGaha -Pandering
  • Victor O. Alvarez Martinez – Pimping; to be indicted on Human Trafficking
  • Juan Puente Pimping; to be indicted on Human Trafficking
  • Prince Antoine – Pimping
  • Phillip Floyd– Pandering
  • Sergio J DeArmas Alfaras– Pimping; investigating further
  • Christopher Allen- Pandering

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