LIBERTY N.C. – Several law enforcement agencies as part of the Invictus Project Task Force arrested a Greensboro man who allegedly traveled to Liberty to meet a child.
On January 12th, 2024, the Liberty Police Department along with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office SERT and investigations units, members of The Invictus Project Task Force, NC SBI, Davie County Sheriff’s Office, Roxboro Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, assisted Gaston County Police Department in the conclusion of a multi-agency investigation by arresting an individual by the name of William Russell Gaffney, 62 years old, of Greensboro, NC, according to a press release.
Gaffney was charged with felony solicitation of a child by computer for sex and appear, felony attempted statutory sex offense, and felony attempted indecent liberties with a child, and was initially held without bond. At his first appearance in Randolph County Court his bond was set at $100,000.
David Semrad, Chief of the Liberty Police Department said he would like to thank all the “law enforcement partners for their continued collaborative efforts to make all of our communities a safer place to live and visit.”
North Carolina is ranked ninth in the nation for human trafficking with sex trafficking being the most common. In response, back in December of 2023, The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, along with several other Sheriff’s Offices, the SBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and other partners like Lantern Rescue announced the Invictus Project at a press conference. The combined agencies work as a task force to combat child trafficking and exploitation.