MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Eleven men were arrested and accused of seeking sex with a minor after an undercover operation in Jackson, Tennessee, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Monday.
The two-day human trafficking investigation, which began Aug. 26, placed decoy ads on websites that TBI said were known to be linked to prostitution cases.
The youngest defendant was 24 and the oldest was 79.
Each was booked into the Madison County or Chester County Jail on $100,000 bond and held at the Chester County Jail. A judge later lowered the bond for Gene Depriest to $10,000. The investigation is continuing and more charges may be coming.
Those charged were:
▪ Christopher Clark (DOB: 11/24/96), Milan, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor
▪ Gene Depriest (DOB: 5/17/42), Waverly, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor
▪ Charles Dunigan (DOB: 5/8/85), Jackson, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor, Simple Possession of
Marijuana
▪ Rickius Grant (DOB: 7/24/96), West Memphis, Ark.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor (2 counts), Unlawful
Possession of a Firearm, Simple Possession of Marijuana
▪ Troyce Hudson (DOB: 5/31/75), Jackson, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor
▪ Shravan Niranjan (DOB: 11/20/78), Collierville, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor
▪ Brian Patterson (DOB: 7/23/71), Trezevant, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor (2 counts)
▪ Dustin Smith (DOB: 12/1/88), Drummonds, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor
▪ Brandon Williams (DOB: 5/29/82), Bartlett, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor
▪ Clyde Willis (DOB: 8/29/81), Jackson, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor (2 counts)
▪ Micah Wilson (DOB: 12/29/69), Trenton, Tenn.: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor
TBI’s Human Trafficking Unit partnered with the Jackson Police Department , the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security and the office of 26th District Attorney General Jody Pickens as part of Operation United Front, a 12-state human trafficking operation led by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol.