Mitchell Rainwater

A Marshall County man was charged with possession of child pornography Wednesday as a part of a sweeping multi-agency operation to target online sexual predators.

Mitchell Rainwater, 53, of Arab was booked into the Marshall County Jail with a 45,000 bond. He’s among 11 Alabamians charged with crimes involving sexual exploitation of children following a coordinated operation between Georgia and Alabama law enforcement agencies called Operation Southern Impact. In all, 31 people were arrested, according to a Alabama Law Enforcement Agency news release.

Additional charges and arrests may be forthcoming after analysis of seized digital devices. The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the operation. 

The Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (GA ICAC TF) and the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (AL ICAC TF) joined together to focus on those who possess and distribute child pornography and those who are sexually exploiting children in other ways using the internet. The planning for Operation Southern Impact began approximately three months ago and culminated in two days of search warrant executions and arrests in Georgia and Alabama.

A total of 54 search warrants were executed across the two states.

Authorities conducting the searches were looking for evidence of possession and distribution of child pornography using the internet as well as any other child exploitation-related crimes. In, 162 digital devices were examined and 731 digital devices were seized as evidence.

The Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force strives to protect children from sexual exploitation and arrest those that prey on our state’s most vulnerable victims.

Read more in Saturday’s Cullman Times.