Pentagon official from Georgia arrested in undercover human trafficking sting

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - An undercover human trafficking sting in Coweta County led to the arrest of 26 people, including a local man who has been identified as a top children’s education official with the Pentagon.

According to the military publication Stars and Stripes, 64-year-old Stephen Hovanic of Sharpsburg is the chief of staff for Defense Department schools in the United States.

Stephen Hovanic (Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office)

The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office charged him with pandering, which is a misdemeanor in Georgia. Deputies say he allegedly solicited sex from an undercover officer in a motel room where the department had set up the two-day human trafficking operation.

During the sting, 26 people were arrested for crimes that included pandering, prostitution and pimping, according to deputies.

The sheriff’s office also says six women who they identified as victims of human trafficking were offered help.

Deputies say the human trafficking investigation continues and more arrests and charges are possible.