Beginning on 02/01/24 and running through 02/27/24, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations/Narcotics Division, NC Department of Adult Corrections/Special Operations and Intelligence Unit, United States Marshals Service/Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, United States Marshals Service, and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted (2) joint operations, which focused on keeping the children of Burke County safe from potential sexual predators and repeat/recidivist sex offenders.
During Operation Heart Breaker, investigators from BCSO and agents from the FBI and US Marshals conducted investigations on CyberTip(s) received from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Following up on these CyberTip leads, investigators were able to identify persons in possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), identify multiple child victims in Burke County and surrounding states, and interrupt active CSAM production(s) within the jurisdiction of Burke County.
Additionally, during Operation Safe Kids, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, NC Department of Adult Corrections/Special Operations and Intelligence Unit, United States Marshals Service/Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, United States Marshals Service conducted compliance checks with registered sex offenders currently on probation and living within the jurisdiction of Burke County.
As a result of these operations eight arrests were made.
Arrested were:
Zebulon Robert Lingafelt: Statutory sex off. w/ child by adult, first-degree exploitation of a minor, indecent liberties with a child
Scott Robert Ryan: Third-degree exploitation of a minor, simple poss. schedule II controlled sub. (meth)
Joshua Lee Wilkins: Third-degree exploitation of a child
Jimmy Ray Wilson: Failure to change address- sex offender violation
Bobby Monroe Wagoner: Failure to change address- sex offender violation
Danial Gary Carswell: Simple possession schedule II (Fentanyl), possession drug paraphernalia, probation – sex offender violation
Timothy Matthew Shelnut: Fail to register online ID- sex offender registry violation
These operations were a multi-agency collaborative endeavor conducted in an effort to protect the citizens, especially the children within Burke County. These types of operations could NOT be conducted without our partnerships and collaborations with our Federal, State, and Local agencies working seamlessly together for the mutual good of our communities.
The Burke County Criminal Investigations Division fields on average 85 +/- CyberTips a year from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. These CyberTips are actionable intelligence that detail the potential for Child Exploitations occurring within the county.
Additionally, the Burke County Sheriff’s is currently responsible for managing 171 registered sex offenders and assuring their compliance within the county.
The Burke County Sheriff’s Office is thankful for our working relationships with these organizations and appreciates the ongoing partnerships with other agencies.
Agencies Involved:
Burke County Sheriff’s Office
Burke County Criminal Investigations/Narcotics Division
Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office
Caldwell County Criminal Investigations Division
Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office
Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division
NC DAC Burke County Probation/Parole
NC DAC Special Operations and Intelligence Unit
USMS Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force
United States Marshals Service
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Menu