Decatur, GA (October 18, 2021) – A Newton County man has been arrested in a joint GBI, Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, and Newton County Sheriff’s Office online exploitation and child molestation investigation. On October 15, 2021, Derrick Crooms, age 45, was arrested and charged with the following offenses:
- Incest (2 counts)
- Aggravated Sexual Battery (2 counts)
- Aggravated Child Molestation (2 counts)
- Child Molestation (2 counts)
- Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes
In December 2020, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit received a request for assistance from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation of numerous sex offenses against children by Crooms. The investigation revealed that these crimes allegedly occurred in Newton County, Georgia, as well as several different locations throughout the United States.
During many of the offenses committed by Crooms, Crooms was married to and traveling around the country with Rachel Overton. Overton was a traveling nurse. It was determined that Overton became aware of Crooms’ criminal acts and failed to report them to law enforcement. Overton was also charged with Cruelty to Children-3rd Degree and Failure to Report as a Mandated Reporter.
Overton was taken into custody February 23, 2021, with the assistance of the Racine County Sheriff’s Office (Wisconsin). Overton was then extradited to Oconee County, Georgia from Wisconsin and released on bail shortly afterwards.
The GBI requested the United States Marshals Service to assist with locating and capturing Crooms on his criminal charges. Crooms was captured by the United States Marshals Service in Stone Mountain, Georgia following a tip received by a Marshal. Crooms was transported to the Newton County Jail.
This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.
Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Unit at 404-270-8870.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.