The internet is roaring following the announcement that Carl Sprayberry, a failed Democratic candidate for the Georgia State House, was arrested during a large-scale investigation targeting online predators and charged with human trafficking alongside 18 others.
For context, in an announcement released on April 30, 2025, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Sprayberry, age 32, of Columbus, Georgia, was charged with human trafficking as part of a group that targeted minors online. The investigation that led to Sprayberry’s arrest was deemed “Operation Lights Out,” and it was spearheaded by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force with support from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office.
In the official announcement regarding the operation’s success, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesperson explained that the goal of the investigation was “to identify persons who engage in sexually explicit communication with children on the Internet, arrange to engage in a sex act with the child, and then travel to meet the child for the purpose of having sex.” They added, “Additionally, the operation targeted those who are willing to exploit children by purchasing sex with a minor.”
Furthermore, the spokesperson confirmed that Sprayberry, who is listed in the announcement as a chef by trade and reportedly ran for election to the Georgia House of Representatives to represent District 139, losing to Rep. Carmen Rice (R) on November 5, 2024, was arrested and “charged with human trafficking.”
Additionally, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesperson explained that “Operation Lights Out” was a long time coming, describing the investigation as taking “months of planning” and involving the collaboration of 12 law enforcement agencies, consisting of local, state, and federal agencies that are part of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.” They added that those arrested ranged in age from 21 to 68 and “traveled from areas around Columbus, Georgia, with the intent to meet a child for sex.”
In addition, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman, who participated in the investigation, urged parents to “closely monitor your children” following the arrests, saying, “These predators will travel from near and far to victimize your children. We take these crimes against children very seriously. It will be our focus to find these predators so they may be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Weighing in on the effort involved in the investigation, SAC Brian Johnston said, “It takes collaboration and a team effort to protect the children in our community.” He added, “Operation Lights Out was a proactive investigation. We, as law enforcement, were working in an undercover operation to stop predators. These same predators would have been targeting the children of this community.”
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After the announcement of the arrests, the conservative commentator Amuse highlighted the charges against Sprayberry in a post on X on May 1, 2025, saying, “Another Democrat politician has been arrested for child sex trafficking.” In response, conservatives were glad to see justice served, with a user with the handle UltraKingDragon writing, “Good, take them all down.”
Watch coverage of Sprayberry’s arrest:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video