A Suwanee man and an Illinois man are accused of driving to Floyd County in hopes of sexually abusing children.
Both were armed with guns during their trek, which netted them even more felony charges, authorities said.
Jeffrey Howard Cronin, 55, of Suwanee, and Jonathan Donald McMurray, 32, of Wheeling, Ill., were arrested Tuesday, according to multiple local media reports. While Cronin’s drive to Floyd County was only about 100 miles, McMurray traveled 11 hours after allegedly trying to entice a child, the Rome News-Tribune reported.
Cronin contacted a person online whom he believed was under the age of 16, and he talked about sexual acts he planned to do to the person, according to arrest warrants obtained by the newspaper. He traveled to the county to meet the person, but he instead met with authorities.
McMurray’s case is similar, since he engaged in “sexual conversation” with someone online whom he thought was under the age of 16, according to arrest warrants obtained by the News-Tribune. He also arrived in Floyd County only to find law enforcement.
The arresting officers found two firearms in McMurray’s possession and one firearm on Cronin, which earned them both counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, which is a felony, the newspaper reported.
Both suspects were also charged with child molestation and obscene internet contact-related charges, the News-Tribune reported. They were booked into the Floyd County Jail, where they remained Wednesday morning.
However, their names did not appear in the county's online jail record system later Wednesday night, so it's unclear whether they've been granted bond. AJC.com has reached out to the Floyd County Sheriff's Office for more information.
In other news:
About the Author
