We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped police in North Georgia from using Grindr to conduct bogus sting operations on gay men.
Our friends at Project Q Atlanta report that the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office arrested nine men during a three-day sting operation last month, charging them with a string of misdemeanors and felonies, some without any merit whatsoever.
Police accused at least one of the men of offering drugs in exchange for sex to an undercover cop, though screenshots of the conversation included in the man’s arrest warrant don’t support the allegations at all.
Last month, Sgt. W. Dereck Johnson, using the Grindr screen name “Charlie[looking for]420″, initiated a conversation with the man online. Johnson asked if he had any pot. When the man said yes, Johnson asked, “U share?” The man said he would and the two arranged a meet-up.
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“I want to get high and f*ck,” Johnson wrote.
“Nothing wrong with that,” the man replied.
When the man showed up at the designated meeting spot, police arrested him on misdemeanor charges of pandering, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, and criminal attempt.
In his report, Johnson wrote, “[The suspect] did solicit SSGT D. Johnson to perform an act of prostitution in exchange for marijuana.” This, however, never happened. At no point during the conversation did the man offer pot in exchange for sex.
Related: Georgia sheriff busted for cruising for sex in a park during police sting operation
The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office also went after eight other men, between the ages of 23 and 50, over the course of three days in early March.
The arrests included a slew of random misdemeanor charges, including pandering, obstruction, and marijuana possession, as well as more serious felonies, ranging from criminal attempt to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine, to the use of a communication device to facilitate a felony.
The men’s names and mugshots were then leaked to a local newspaper, where they were then published for everyone to see. The newspaper made no mention of the sting operation, but it did include the names of each of the men’s employers.
When reached for comment, Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson declined to say anything, but Greg Nevins, senior counsel at Lambda Lega’s Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, called the entire sting operation a “cataclysmic failure” on the part of law enforcement.
“It used to be that they would always say we have to stop these hookups in parks because our children are in parks,” Nevins told Project Q Atlanta. “Well now you’re on Grindr looking for a problem.”
He continued, “Where does the protect and serve baseline actually come into my this?Where is any appreciation for not over incarcerating people who aren’t doing anything harmful and looking out for situations where real harm is going on? It’s a cataclysmic failure.”
Related: City settles lawsuit over gay sex sting operations with six-figure payout to each victim
Vince
The parks are from a by gone era so the cops have to get inventive to justify their f*g bashing and bloated vice budgets.
TomG
“I want to get high and f*ck,” Johnson wrote. He was the cop. So it was a set-up in which the cop was the guilty one of pandering. It will be thrown out in court.
chase_boston
@TomG : image is everything : in the meantime : they have labeled us deviant and just cause for execution : it´s about getting the crazies on board who will do the killing : they keep their hands clean!
chase_boston
TIME TO ORGANIZE :
THE :
JESUS CULT WON´T SAVE YOU
SATAN CULT WON´T SAVE YOU
ALIEN CULT WON´T SAVE YOU
PAGAN CULT WON´T SAVE YOU
CHURCH CULT WON´T SAVE YOU
ONLY WE CAN SAVE OURSELVES : SUPPORT EACH OTHER : BUT ASIDE YOUR OCCULT CONDITIONS AND OBLIGATIONS. UNITE : FIND STRENGTH IN EACH OTHER : TEAR APART YOUR COG-DIS : LET´S BUILD LESBO ISLAND : AND LET´S MAKE IT FABULOUS !!!
OTHERWISE WE BECOME THE TRICKLE IN HUMAN BLOOD SACRIFICE FOR THE “GOLDEN AGE” SCAPEGOATED!
My2CentsWorth
TomG “….. It will be thrown out in court”.
This happened in Georgia. That reduces the chances of it being thrown out by the court.
There can also something to be said against high risk anonymous sex. Meeting people for anonymous sex is dangerous.
rbernard
The cops are stupid knuckle dragging neanderthals for spending their time going after BJs for doobies and not being focused on apprehending violent criminals.
dave1000
Exactly. Who is being harmed by this behavior? Nobody. But no, we have to ruin peoples’ lives because someone’s morals got offended.
beckyrowe680
message (?????) me when you’re free?? ==>>2?gp/a71mk
beckyrowe680
message me when you’re free?? ==>>2.gp/a71mk
Creamsicle
This must be heartwarming for all the people at their station who were furloughed. They take a pay cut, and a bunch of officers get to troll grindr all day to arrange non-crimes that would have otherwise never happened.
ScottOnEarth
I’d like to know how any of this insidious behavior is legal? The useless cops, clearly having nothing better to do, initiated all contact and then made arrests based on absent evidence? Then the men’s photos, names and employers are “leaked” to the papers? This is beyond unjust and unethical. Thankfully, LAMBDA is there to help. I’m so sorry this happened to these guys.
Jared MacBride
Thank the baby jeebuth for freedom of the press, which allows these guys to have their lives yanked from them so a newspaper can sell more ads.
Brian
Yes, we should totally abolish that because of freak situations like this one.
Karrnal
The witch hunts of the 1950s are still with us, spurious charges, public shaming et al. I certainly the Police get sued over this.
ShiningSex
if you’re doing some illegal, it doesn’t matter if you’re gay or not.
Gigi Gee
@ShiningSex Re: “if you’re doing some illegal, it doesn’t matter if you’re gay or not.“
He didn’t do anything illegal. It helps if you read and understand the article before commenting.
Herman75
@ShiningSex From the new articles I read, the schoolteacher did nothing illegal. No drug charges. Meeting for companionship using Grindr is not a crime. That sheriff will regret this.
JanDivine
We are in the middle of a global people are dying by the thousands. Can’t these cops find something more important to do ?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Beyond smcubag moves on that disgusting repulsive morbidly obese
Sheriff’s part . And the newspaper for printing all the information including places of employment. Am a firm believer in Karma and all involved are due for a mega dose…
And ironically if you Google St Derek Johnson, you will see another cop, same rank and name was killed while on duty in Utah six years ago
TheAbsoluteTRUTH
I wish they’d set up a sting for these piece of shit T meth dealing death queens on grindr that’d be a much more productive use of time
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
You mean arrest actual criminals?
ShiningSex
TRUE!
@playswellwithothers, these are crimes too.
Vince
@ShiningSex
Except this is entrapment. Who’s to say they would’ve done it without being seduced into it.
chase_boston
Clowns : your fellow gays : Sold you out !!! First they offer the cocaine and then take it away.
Brian
Damn, I guess I better stop offering my tricks a Diet Coke afterward. I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.
scotty
talk about low hanging fruit of the poison tree. (evidentially i mean)
Bob LaBlah
I wonder what bear bar that sheriff goes to. I could see him fisting guys in a sling at a bar in a dark room. Oh how I miss Los Angeles in the early 1980’s.
ShiningSex
BOGUS?
IF YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING ILLEGAL IT’S NOT BOGUS MORON.
GAYS COMMIT CRIMES TOO DUH!!!
dave1000
Just because something is “illegal” doesn’t make it wrong, and just because something is “legal” doesn’t make it right.
chase_boston
Your Sex is Illegal … Just because someone says it´s illegal does not make it wrong. We have the right to use our body with whatever bio-system-physics : chemical or natural !!! It is our right to our experience !!!
Black Pegasus
Are we living in 2020 or nah? Can’t believe these scum pigs are allowed to waste tax payers dollars over what consenting adults do with their own time and bodies.
And to post their photos is a clear attempt to publicly humiliate them for life.
Mfrid
They’re called pigs for a reason….and that’s insulting the animal.
Always carry a lot of protection for many reasons and use it!!!….
Designermax
Lambda Legal— Pull your head out out of your ass! This sting was NOT a catastrophic Failure!!! This was an unabashed success, on Dawson County’s Sheriff’s department… They are purposefully sending a message.. Using this as their “example1” If you are Gay, or in any way LGBT— GET OUT!! or more pointedly: “We WANT you back IN THE CLOSET… NOW!!!” This is especially the case, since Kansas, South Carolina’s and Tennessee’s legislatures are introducing bills, that would revert the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, making Marriage Equality, law of the land… We’re about to be shoved back into the closet… ALL OVER AGAIN!
chase_boston
it´s to make the straight man feel superior over the gay man : in which then the straight feels entitled to murder us : since we are the evil of the world. What the straight does not know he is being played and has become someone´s bitch. Mad Max : Lord of the Water is next.
dave1000
I don’t get why the authorities insist on wasting time and resources on stuff like this. Even if it is a “crime” by the books, it is a victimless crime. IOW, no crime at all. Who is being harmed by the “perps” behavior? Nobody, except for some folks with offended misguided morals.
With a “victimless crime” the “victim” and the “perp” are one and the same person. It is a perversion of justice to put the victim in jail.
MrMichaelJ
So are these cops on Tinder, getting some hot female cop to “lure” guys, telling them she wants to come over and smoke some pot. Stuff like this pisses me off and I’m sick of it. The one aspect of the pandemic is its made it where I’m not in the closet at all. Always wanted to be out and free as much as any straight guy is able to be and I’m going to do it before I die.
Troysky
Exactly.
James
THE DAWSON COUNTY POLICE ARE SUCH SH*TS. WHAT A BUNCH OF LOSERS AND CHRIXTIAN BIGOT TRASH.
stanhope
Don’t think for a moment this is the entire story…some of these cops are taking money to let the victims go or favors of a sexual nature. That aspect won’t see the light of day.
Jaroslaw
I am really furious they would put their names, photos and employer’s names in the newspaper. And what kind of newspaper would publish such a thing? I just made a small contribution to Lamda Legal to show my support and I hope some of the rest of you do also.
jackscott
So crazy, nothing better for the police to do in the area?!
eromerom
I’m sorry but hooking up in a time of pandemic IS criminal. Nothing to do with oppression or persecution. It’s just common sense.
Rock-N-RollHS
Yawn.
Vince
Are you affiliated with one million moms by any chance?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Below is from a local media outlet. This abhorrent smcubag homophobic Sheriff has been involved in numerous scandals.
His use of the term “FAKE NEWS” makes it abundantly clear of his blatant biases and who he emulates in his leadership style.
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson and Sgt. Larry Busher have gone into full CYA mode.
Johnson blames Fetch Your News for reporting the truth about Busher’s inability to find his posterior with both hands and a GPS app. Busher blames 911 operator Miki Mullis for giving him “faulty information” regarding an overturned vehicle on Nimblewill Gap last month.
FYN broke the news this week that it took Busher more than six hours to arrive at the location even though Cody Skinner — the man who reported the accident via ham radio — said he provided the exact latitude/longitude coordinates and used the GPS feature on his ham radio to beacon the exact location “so the other operator could see my exact location.”
Angered by our report, Johnson lashed out, labeling FYN “Fake News.” The sheriff even accused us of sensationalizing the report. But folks, even Hollywood can’t make this crazy stuff up.
It’s not surprising that Johnson is looking for a scapegoat. Johnson will soon complete his third year in office and his bumbling incompetence and dishonesty will likely cost him his office in the 2020 election.
Dawson County citizens got their first glimpse of his dishonesty in 2017 when he sued the county for a bigger budget. Judge Fred A. Bishop ruled against Johnson and, in rendering his verdict, scolded the sheriff for his dishonesty.
Next came the badminton scandal that saw an entire night patrol shift go AWOL for a quick game at a local school.
Then came a string of arrests of detention officers for offenses ranging from sexual misconduct with an inmate to assault and battery on their wives.
Now FYN is investigating an unsubstantiated report that the sheriff’s office has overbilled the Dawson County School System by $5,000 for officers who direct traffic at the schools. We will keep our readers informed.
As we have done in the past, we will reach out to Johnson for his side of the story. But we won’t hold our breath. Johnson never returns our calls.
The bottom line is Johnson has lost control of the sheriff’s office and needs to be replaced.
As for Busher, he seems to have taken a page out of Johnson’s playbook in trying to blame the 911 operator for his failure to reach last month’s accident scene. But his explanation doesn’t hold water.
The truth is Busher was afraid of being ambushed. He said as much on the audio recording of the 911 call.
“I’m not (expletive deleted) going anywhere,” Busher said emphatically. “Randy Harkness is going with me.” (NOTE: Harkness was off duty at the time). “Could be we’ve got some hermit living up on the mountain named Bill trying to lure a (expletive deleted) cop up there.”
These two men should not reflect badly upon the other 99 percent of the men and women who serve the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office. They are among the finest law enforcement officers in the state. It is sad they have to function under the failed leadership of Sheriff Jeff Johnson.
But, have faith. 2020 is an election year and very likely Johnson’s final year in office.
Bob LaBlah
You and I are old school Play and I hope you too looked at the pics of those guys whom were arrested. A few of them looked just like babies (in their early to mid 20’s). The one my heart really goes out for is the school teacher. They didn’t name the school teacher directly but I bet its the cute chubby one who looks as though he gave extra attention to his students who needed help in math and left the sex and drugs for Grindr. I remember the days when Queerty used to allow posting of articles but I guess the younger girls got offended and Queerty listened to their complaints. Sigh. Thanks for posting that.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Bob LaBlah: Agreed, great old school minds think alike 🙂
However your investigate prowess was better than mine. I could not find the paper. Can you source it?
Bob LaBlah
Their local paper is Dawsonnews.com and if you go to the search at the top of the page put in Nine arrested in Dawson County vice operation. They crossed all racial lines and regardless of their age or physical appearance the sad thing is these guys only mistake was thinking they were going to get high and party. OK, meth, crack, cocaine, heroin I could see a sting (and not that I would necessarily support it but I could understand it better) but not pot. I wouldn’t be shocked if several of them lose their jobs and have to relocated because of this.
masterwill7
Only in America!!!! Totally crazy the “police” officers, and then the “newspaper”??? All batshit crazy!
Rock-N-RollHS
I would have been so busted.
batesmotel
Sadly people are too obsessed with Trump and the Coronavirus to have escalated a story like this to the top of the trending stories. Instead it will remain buried and unknown except to the guys arrested and those that now know who they are in this small town.
IanHunter
Johnson is running for reelection. Look at his Facebook page.
djmcgamester
I’m sorry, but baiting gay guys on hookup apps is ridiculous. Calling anyone a prostitute in this situation is beyond stupid. One guy on a dating (not hookup) app offered to be my sugar daddy. Or people asking if you’re “generous.” Those would be more in line with prostitution. In this case, it would be sharing pot rather than an outright exchange. I hope this gets thrown right out of court – which, if I understand correctly, we don’t presently have.
jdr11201
These boys never learn, stop posting what you are doing. Also, you have a case of entrapment.
Stay home whore 🙂
CityguyUSA
Many of us suffer at the overreach of police. They love to stalk places where gay men congregate and brown and black live in squalor.
lambchopp59
Situation reeks of entrapment, as have homophobic “sting” operations for decades.
Move to states with legal weed if you gotta have your high, bros.
The above photo with the hot cop arresting the twink sort of made me wonder what gay porn that might have been a screenshot from.