Dade County Man Charged with the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Trenton, GA (September 1, 2022) – On Monday, August 29, 2022, Elisha Shields, age 38, of Dade County, GA, was arrested for two counts of sexual exploitation of children by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Shields’ online activity after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the possible online possession of child sexual abuse material. This investigation led to a search warrant of two homes frequently occupied by Shields. Evidence collected in Dade County subsequently led to Shields’ current criminal charges. The GBI CEACC unit was aided in their search warrant executions by the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Dade County Sheriff’s Office. Shields was taken into custody by the Dade County Sheriff’s Office and taken to the Dade County Jail.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the trade of child sexual abuse material. The ICAC Program, created by the   U.S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.