By John Mann ,
1 hours ago
A 24-year-old Birmingham man was among 14 people arrested in a Limestone County online child exploitation investigation. Raul Lorenzo was charged with electronic solicitation of a child, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and first-degree human trafficking. The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said all 14 people face those three charges, for a total of 42 charges. The arrests came during Operation Fowl Play, a multi-day investigation led by the sheriff’s office Criminal Investigation Division’s Special Operations Team with help from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. Investigators focused on people accused of using social media, messaging apps and online games to contact children for sexual purposes. The sheriff’s office said some suspects allegedly arranged meetings with children or traveled intending to commit unlawful sex acts. The sheriff’s office said the defendants will be held without bond until Aniah’s Law hearings are scheduled. The investigation was part of the Millstone Project, an initiative launched by Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin in 2024 to in...