6 Fort Valley suspects turn selves in

Six of the seven suspects in the ongoing criminal investigation that involved two former Fort Valley State University officials turned in themselves on solicitation charges, authorities said Tuesday.

Arrest warrants obtained Tuesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show criminal activity began in October 2015, when former university official Alecia Johnson and another woman allegedly took scholarship money that was awarded to a student, and a sex business operated later.

From April 2017 to about a year later, Johnson took the woman to several locations in Peach County, where the university is located, to meet men for prostitution, according to the arrest warrants.

The men, who were each charged with pandering and solicitation of sodomy are:

Ernest Harvey, 47, of Fort Valley an assistant principal in charge of discipline at Huntington Middle School in Houston County.
Kenneth Howard, 56, of Fort Valley, the city manager of Hinesville.
Ryan Jenkins, 35, of Fort Valley.
Charles Jones, 57, of Fort Valley, a former attorney for Fort Valley State.
Devontae Little, 26, of Warner Robins.
Arthur James Nance Jr., 46, of Cordele, the vice chairman of the Crisp County Board of Commissioners and a local pastor and mortician.

All of the men, except Harvey, have turned themselves in, Peach County Sheriff’s Office officials said. Sheriff Terry Deese said he expected Harvey to turn himself in later Tuesday. Johnson, charged with pimping, turned herself in late Monday, records show. She was also charged with conspiracy to commit fiduciary theft in connection with the alleged scholarship theft.

Since the investigation went public in April, officials have been cautious about discussing the case.

The arrest warrants do not contain details about how Johnson and the woman accused of being a prostitute met, how they met the men or how much money was exchanged during the alleged encounters. Prosecutors declined Tuesday to share any information about the woman. Efforts to contact the woman, who may have been a Fort Valley State student, were unsuccessful Tuesday.

About the Authors

Eric Stirgus

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

Ernie Suggs

Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.

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