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Top Pentagon official Stephen Hovanic arrested in Georgia human trafficking sting

In Coweta County, 26 people were taken into custody following an undercover operation against human trafficking, including DoDEA official Stephen Hovanic

COWETA COUNTY, GEORGIA: According to reports, senior Pentagon officer Stephen Francis Hovanic was one of the more than two dozen individuals detained during a recent two-day human trafficking operation in Coweta County, Atlanta. 

As per the Coweta County Sheriff's Office and its Police to Citizen Portal website, Hovanic was taken into custody on November 15 during a sting that resulted in the arrest of 25 other suspects on accusations of prostitution, drug use, possession of firearms, and outstanding warrants.

The military magazine Stars and Stripes reported that the 64-year-old Sharpsburg resident Stephen Hovanic is the Chief of Staff for Defense Department schools in the United States.

Stephen Hovanic has been a part of DoDEA since 1996

The Department of Defense Education (DoDEA) website states that Stephen Hovanic took over as Chief of Staff for DoDEA America, formerly known as the Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools, in October 2010.

Having spent over 40 years in the field of education, he first joined DoDEA in 1996 as the assistant principal of Quantico High School after serving as a high school vocational teacher, coach, and administrator in the Virginia public school system.

As per Military.com, Hovanic was appointed principal of Dahlgren School, located in Virginia, in 2001. He remained there until 2008, at which point he moved to work as an Instructional Systems Specialist at the department's area service center, located in Peachtree City, Georgia.

A DoDEA spokesman, William Griffin, claimed Hovanic is currently on leave from his job.

Stephen Hovanic was caught during a two-day human trafficking operation in Coweta County

The Coweta County Sheriff's Office charged Stephen Hovanic with pandering, which is an offense that includes pressuring or coercing someone to engage in prostitution. In Georgia, soliciting a sex worker's services for oneself or making arrangements for a third party is a misdemeanor offense.

According to deputies, Hovanic allegedly asked an undercover investigator for sex in a motel room where the department had set up the two-day human trafficking operation, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.

Deputies reported that 26 individuals were taken into custody during the sting for offenses such as pandering, prostitution, and pimping.

On November 17, Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sergeant Toby Nix told Newnan Times-Herald that "pandering is not a victimless crime, as the demand for prostitution drives the sex-trafficking market."

Additionally, the office reported that assistance was extended to six women they recognized as victims of human trafficking. Hovanic allegedly admitted to authorities that he believed he was paying the woman, who turned out to be an undercover officer, for a massage rather than for sex.

According to deputies, there may be more arrests and charges in the ongoing investigation into human trafficking.

Internet erupts over senior Pentagon officer's arrest for pandering

Following Collin Rugg's post on X (formerly Twitter) about the ongoing human trafficking incident involving senior Pentagon officer Stephen Hovanic, netizens were outraged over the current system and administration.

One wrote, "Unfortunately, some of the worst people on the planet work in government and around children."

Another said, "The quality of the people in our government has seemed to have reached the bottom of the barrel."

"This is absolutely horrid. Also, for anyone that has never been in the military, it is extremely hard to go against a superior even if they are wrong. So, I wonder how much more abuse he may be guilty of and service members are hid it out of fear of retribution," noted a person. 

They continued: "Believe me that fear is real and warranted. A deviant with so much power is so dangerous. His political leaning will determine what consequences he will receive. I have zero confidence in the justice system."

Someone else expressed, "If they caught one human trafficker from the Pentagon, imagine how many more there must be. Human traffickers are like cockroaches - you trap one, but there are hundreds more that you don't see."

One inquired, "Again, why do we need the Pentagon overseeing elementary schools? Who approves this stuff?"

"Our government never confronts the evil of Human Trafficking because that would mean they’d have to arrest themselves," stated an individual.

Another one said, "It runs thru our government as water does pipes. Guarantee they could look at this guys contacts and it goes top level. I would say the whole administration should be investigated. But when the @FBI and @CIA are on the payroll, it’s hard to get justice."