A Fulton County sheriff’s deputy was indicted Friday, accused of soliciting sex from a 17-year-old last year, officials said.
Courtney Lofton was entrusted to protect the community, but Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said he broke that trust.
“When that trust is broken, it is difficult to restore,” Carr said in a statement.
Officials confirmed the deputy solicited the teen for sex in Cobb County in October 2022. He was taken into custody Friday with the assistance of the Fulton sheriff’s office and indicted on one count of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude.
Lofton began his law enforcement career in November 2015 as a juvenile correctional officer at the Atlanta Youth Development Center. He resigned just months later in January.
In November 2018, he began working for the South Fulton Police Department until resigning in March 2021. He began working as an investigator for the Fulton sheriff’s office days later.
Credit: Georgia POST
Credit: Georgia POST
The indictment is part of a larger investigation conducted by local and federal agencies, including the GBI’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit and Homeland Security Investigations. As of Friday, Carr said his office’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has indicted 54 people for sex or labor trafficking, with some facing charges in multiple jurisdictions around the state.
In 2022, six new convictions were obtained, 33 cases were investigated and 116 victims were rescued or assisted, Carr said.
“It is of utmost importance that officers who violate their oath to protect and serve be held accountable for their actions,” GBI Director Mike Register said in the news release.
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