County residents face charges in sex-crime sweep

Several Randolph County residents face charges as part of wide-sweeping law enforcement effort that resulted in nearly two dozen arrests on sex-crime related charges.

The multi-jurisdiction Invictus Task Force worked as part of a 12-day sting operation in October. Charges were announced in mid-November. The operation involved identifying child predators and individuals who’ve shared child pornography online.

The multi-county operation was dubbed Operation Ghost Wire.

Among those arrested from Randolph County was Jacob Dylan Tally, who was charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation. Tally’s bond was set at $1 million.

As part of the investigation, compliance checks resulted in previously convicted sex offenders for the following violations:

** Ervin Blankenship of Asheboro was charged with three counts of failure to register online identifiers and placed under a $300,000 bond.

** Devin Wayne Clark of Randolph County was charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and placed under a $15,000 bond.

** Logan James Conley of Archdale was charged with failure to register online identifiers and placed under a $250,000 bond.

The law enforcement approach, according to police authorities, involved undercover officers going online and posing as children. There were also tips received through the Center for Missing and Exploited Children to identify people trafficking child pornography online.