Gregory Countryman Sr., 58, of Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia, United States is the sheriff of Muscogee County. He began his first term on January 1, 2021 and was reelected on November 5, 2024.
Operation Lights Out
The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office is based in Columbus. Zidarius Poole, 21, Cameron Shelley, 25, Carl Sprayberry, 32, Anthony Seldon, 34, Isael Alvarez, 43, and Roger Burkes, 62, are residents of the city, which is around 114 miles away from Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia.
Decatur is home to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is housed within the Child Exploitation And Computer Crimes Unit (CEACCU) at the GBI.
From April 25-27, 2025, the task force, the GBI and the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office conducted Operation Lights Out, a human trafficking operation involving online sexual predators. It led to the arrests of 19 men including Poole, Shelley, Sprayberry, Seldon, Alvarez and Burkes.
Poole is unemployed. He was charged with violation of the Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 2007.
Shelley is a truck driver. He was charged with human trafficking.
Sprayberry is a chef. He was also charged with human trafficking.
Seldon is a janitor. He was charged with human trafficking, fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless driving and willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.
Alvarez is subject to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer. He was also charged with human trafficking.
Burkes is an aircraft inspector. He was also charged with violation of the Computer or Electronic Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 2007.
“These predators will travel from near and far to victimize your children,” Countryman stated. “We take these crimes against children very seriously. It will be our focus to find these predators so they may be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
CONAN Daily 