2 days ago
Two Decatur men indicted for human trafficking after sting operation
Jun. 12—Two Decatur men who were initially charged with traveling to meet a child for sex and electronic solicitation and were released from jail after posting bond were arrested Tuesday and Wednesday and are now being held without bond after a grand jury also indicted them for first-degree human trafficking.
Both men were arrested in a sting operation on April 26, 2024, after investigators with the Morgan County Sheriff's Office CID Unit attempted "to engage with individuals online who planned to engage in unlawful sex acts with children," according to an affidavit by Investigator Caleb Brooks.
Daytron Shawntell Tolliver, 38, of North Street Southeast, contacted by phone and text an investigator posing as a 15-year-old, according to Brooks, and agreed to pay $40 for oral sex. The arrangement was for him to go to the fourth floor of Home2 Suites by Hilton on Island Way Northwest in Decatur.
Tolliver drove there in his BMW 750Li and "entered the hotel and came to the 4th floor to meet the child with payment in hand," according to the affidavit. He was arrested without incident.
Corey Dewayne Wynn Sr., 50, of Brookhaven Street Southwest, agreed to pay $50 for oral sex with a presumed 15-year-old, according to the affidavit, and also went to the fourth floor of Home 2 Suites "with payment in hand."
The sting operation was conducted by the Morgan County Sheriff's Office, it said, in coordination with nonprofit Covenant Rescue Group, the Morgan County District Attorney's Office, U.S. Army Cyber Special Agents and the Limestone County Sheriff's Office.
Electronic solicitation is a Class B felony, and traveling to meet a child for sex is a Class A felony. Tolliver was arrested April 26, 2024, and released two days later after posting a $250,000 bond. His case was bound over to a grand jury. Wynn was arrested April 26 and released the following day, also after posting a $250,000 bond.
The grand jury indicted both on the same two counts, but added Class A felony first-degree human trafficking counts against both men.
Under state law, one trigger for a human trafficking charge is if the defendant "knowingly gives, or attempts to give, monetary consideration or any other thing of value to engage in any sexual conduct with a minor or an individual he or she believes to be a minor."
They are being held without bond under Aniah's Law. Aniah's Law allows defendants charged with certain offenses, including human trafficking, to be held without bond pending a hearing.
A defendant can be held without bond until trial provided the prosecution demonstrates to the judge at the Aniah's Law hearing that "no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably ensure the defendant's appearance in court or protect the safety of the community or any person."
Tolliver's Aniah's Law hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m. Wynn's hearing had not been scheduled as of Wednesday afternoon.
— eric@ or 256-340-2435
