Yancey Co. Man Charged in Tennessee Sex Trafficking Operation

Charles Larry Hunter, age 75 of Burnsville is among seven men arrested on December 10th in Tennessee following a sex trafficking operation run by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Human Trafficking Unit and Task Force and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.  The men are charged with seeking sex with minors.  Over a two-day period beginning December 8th, as part of an undercover investigation aimed at addressing human trafficking in East Tennessee, authorities placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases. The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors. As a result of the operation, detectives and agents arrested 7 men and booked them into the Greene County Jail:

• William E. Marx, 48, Greeneville, TN: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
• Joseph H. Vincent, 72, Greeneville, TN: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
• Samuel E. Foksha, 22, Inman, SC: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
• John W. Blackwood, 54, Georgetown, SC: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
• Charles L. Hunter, 75, Burnsville, NC: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act

• Jacquez M. Carr, 23, Thomasville, GA: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act
• Edwin Garcia Gonzalez, 32, Knoxville, TN: Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act (2 counts)

Greene County Sheriff Wesley Holt said, “This operation has been several months in the planning. I am pleased with the results but disturbed that we have this problem to deal with in our society and in our community. We’re not going to let these predators prey on our children. Through operations like this, we hope to raise the public’s awareness of human trafficking. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Human Trafficking Unit has received over 1000 human trafficking tips this year which is 30% higher than last year’s tips. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Lofquest said parents need to be diligent about their children’s online usage.

Information about human trafficking and TBI’s efforts to address this type of crime can be found online at www.ITHasToStop.com (https://ithastostop.com/).