Senior Department Of Defense Official ARRESTED In Human Trafficking Sting!

A senior-level Department of Defense official has been arrested in conjunction with a sting operation carried out by law enforcement.

Stephen Francis Hovanic was one of two dozen people who were arrested for drug possession, prostitution, and crimes related to human trafficking, though not all suspects were charged with the latter.

The 64-year-old DoD official was reportedly part of a division of the DoD that oversees elementary schools known as the ‘Department of Defense Education Activity.’

Hovanic worked inside the branch for almost 30 years. Journalist Collin Rugg had more:

“Pentagon official Stephen Francis Hovanic reportedly arrested in a human trafficking sting in Georgia where over 2 dozen people were arrested for pandering, drug possession, prostitution & pimping.

It gets worse. Hovanic worked for the Department of Defense, specifically overseeing elementary schools for the Pentagon. Six women have been identified as victims in the sting.

“The victims were taken to an undisclosed ‘safe house,’ where they will receive the help they need to move forward from the heinous crime of human trafficking,” said Sgt. Toby Nix.

“Pandering is not a victimless crime, as the demand for prostitution drives the s*x trafficking market.”

NEW: Pentagon official Stephen Francis Hovanic reportedly arrested in a human trafficking sting in Georgia where over 2 dozen people were arrested for pandering, drug possession, prostitution & pimping.

It gets worse. Hovanic worked for the Department of Defense, specifically… pic.twitter.com/EJvxep2BCj

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 22, 2023

🔥🚨DEVELOPING: A Pentagon Official At Office Overseeing Elementary Schools Arrested In Human Trafficking Sting.

Hovanic was one of more than two dozen arrests over a two-day operation meant to locate victims of human trafficking, the Newnan Times-Herald reported.

Six women,… pic.twitter.com/UbQPIqumB7

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) November 22, 2023

Leading military publication Stars And Stripes had more on the story:

The chief of staff for Defense Department schools in the United States was arrested last week on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute during a human trafficking sting, according to media reports.

Stephen Hovanic, 64, of Sharpsburg, Ga., was nabbed on a pandering charge during a two-day operation last week by Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, WSB-TV in Atlanta reported Tuesday. Coweta is approximately 25 miles southwest of Atlanta.

Hovanic has worked for Department of Defense Education Activity for nearly three decades, the past 13 years as chief of staff for the Americas region, according to the activity’s website. DODEA administers schools on U.S. military bases worldwide.

The sting was initiated Nov. 15 by members of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, which requested assistance from Haralson County’s Special Operations Division, according to a social media post by the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.

No details on where or how the sting was conducted were released, but 26 individuals were arrested, 12 for prostitution, 10 for pandering and four for pimping, according to the post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Six trafficked victims were rescued and moved to safety, the post said. Three of the arrested individuals are under investigation for human trafficking and drug charges.

Pandering is the legal term for paying or attempting to pay for sex. It — along with pimping — is a misdemeanor under Georgia law.

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Chuck Callesto shared these details:

“Aged 64 and hailing from Sharpsburg, Georgia, Hovanic was taken into custody under the suspicion of pandering, as detailed in a press release from the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, shared with the DCNF.

Eva Tedder, an administrator at the sheriff’s office, reported that Hovanic disclosed to the jail personnel his employment with the Department of Defense (DOD) based in Peachtree City, Georgia.

This location is also where the DODEA’s Americas division operates, as per the information on the agency’s website.”

BREAKING REPORT: Biden Pentagon Official in Charge of Department Managing ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Detained in HUMAN TRAFFICKING Operation..

On November 15, Stephen Francis Hovanic, a senior official with the Pentagon's Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) Americas… pic.twitter.com/nRMPcgPOni

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) November 22, 2023

This is Stephen Francis Hovanic. He was arrested in a Georgia human trafficking ring for drug possession, pandering, prostitution and pimping.

He is employed by the Biden Pentagon, in charge of their department that oversees Elementary Schools. pic.twitter.com/fDtOMkrMQE

— 🇺🇸ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) November 22, 2023

Just The News told readers:

Three suspects under investigation for human trafficking and drug charges.

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Nix told local media that those arrested on pimping charges are expected to be indicted for human trafficking.