Investigations Lead to Two Arrests

Two investigations by the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit lead to arrests.

First, Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley said that on June 15, his office received a report of an adult male sending a 15-year-old girl obscene material electronically over the phone.

Shirley said his office’s Special Victims Unit received that report and began investigating the case.

“As a result of a phone number that the juvenile disclosed, the phone was traced back to Jackson County and the Special Victims Unit went to Jackson County and met up with Jackson County deputies, as well as Department of Probation and Parole and went to the residence to conduct a search,” said Shirley.

The sheriff said that 47-year-old Steven Allen Small of Jefferson for Furnishing Obscene Material to a Minor.

Shirley said Small is currently being held at the Jackson County Jail on other charges stemming from the search warrant obtained by authorities during the investigation.

Elsewhere, a second, unrelated incident took place on June 26.

According to the sheriff, his office was called out to a campsite in the Lake Russell Wildlife Refuge.

“We responded to a campsite where an allegation was made of molestation of a juvenile female,” said Shirley. “Once deputies arrived and did their initial investigation, the Special Victims Unit investigator came out and did an investigation.”

Per protocol, local child advocacy center Powerhouse for Kids conducted the interview of the juvenile.

Shirley said that after interviewing the juvenile and witnesses as part of the investigation, authorities arrested 39-year-old Tommy Lee McElhannon of Commerce for Child Molestation.

The sheriff said McElhannon is in custody at the Stephens County Jail at last report with no bond.