A nonprofit founded by former U.S. Navy SEAL and former U.S. Senate candidate Jared Hudson partnered with local law enforcement in an undercover child exploitation operation in Priceville that resulted in seven arrests.

During the week of July 20, 2026, the Priceville Police Department conducted an undercover operation targeting individuals seeking to sexually exploit children. According to the department, the operation was made possible through the assistance and collaboration of Covenant Rescue Group, founded by Hudson, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, the Morgan County District Attorney’s Office and several other law enforcement agencies.

Police said undercover investigators posed online as children younger than 16. The suspects allegedly engaged in sexually explicit conversations with someone they believed to be a child before traveling to a predetermined location with the intent to engage in unlawful sexual acts. The operation resulted in seven arrests, and police said the investigation remains ongoing with additional arrests expected.

Priceville police credited Covenant Rescue Group and its law enforcement partners with helping make the operation possible. “The Priceville Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to each agency for its dedication, professionalism, and commitment to protecting children,” the department said.

The department also said it “remains committed to protecting children and will continue working with local, state, and federal partners to aggressively pursue those who seek to exploit minors.”

Founded in 2019, Covenant Rescue Group was established by Hudson and his wife after they recognized what they described as gaps in funding, training and specialized resources available to agencies investigating human trafficking and child exploitation. According to the organization, the nonprofit provides funding for operations that lead to rescues, arrests and prosecutions while supplying specialized training and equipment to law enforcement.

Hudson told Yellowhammer News that working alongside Alabama agencies makes operations like the one in Priceville especially meaningful. “It’s always great being able to work in your home state and have agencies that are willing and able to come together like we saw in Morgan County with Priceville, the prosecutor’s office and the sheriff’s office,” Hudson said. “A lot of these agencies came together to proactively go after those who are preying on the children in our society.”

Hudson said the operation focused on stopping serious crimes against children before they could happen. “This is a way to proactively go after individuals who are buying and selling kids,” he said. “This is not a misdemeanor prostitution operation. This is a felony human trafficking operation. This is the type of operation that we want our law enforcement agencies to be running. It was great to be able to be a part of that with an agency like Priceville, with the prosecutor’s office and with the sheriff’s office,” Hudson added.

Covenant Rescue Group also works to raise public awareness about human trafficking and child exploitation. The organization says its team includes former military special operators, law enforcement officers, business executives and other volunteers committed to the mission. Because of the sensitive and high-risk nature of the work, many team members remain anonymous.

Those arrested were:

• Ruben Ramon Antonio, 25, of Cullman
• Brandon Ian Robb, 31, of Decatur
• Cameron Bryant Earskine, 19, of Decatur
• Travis Shawn Peete, 49, of Athens
• Jose Jiminez Pascual, 34, of Decatur
• Curtis Jermaine Turman, 44, of Madison
• Savarius Jalin Evans, 18, of Courtland

According to Priceville police, Antonio, Robb, Earskine, Pascual, Turman and Evans are each charged with first-degree human trafficking, electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act. Peete faces two counts each of electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act. Six of the seven suspects were booked into the Morgan County Jail without bond pending Aniah’s Law hearings. Antonio also was being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.

The Priceville Police Department said the investigation remains active and additional arrests are expected.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.