The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office identified two people who were arrested during a child sex predator sting for traveling to meet a child for an unlawful act.
Kaiden Wilson, 19, of Guntersville, and Edward Mattox, 55, of Ashland, were both charged. Mattox faces an additional charge of human trafficking.
“We take a proactive stance investigating these types of cases,” said Sheriff Phil Sims. “These cases are complex, and I appreciated partnering with the other agencies to make these arrests. We have to be prepared in any type of situation that can occur. These sex predators out there target underage children for sex and they will travel to anywhere to meet. In this case, an individual traveled from Indiana to here. By conducting this operation, we hope anyone wanting to do harm to our children learn not to come to Guntersville or anywhere in Marshall County. We appreciate everyone’s help who worked on this operation.”
Wilson and Mattox are considered innocent until proven guilty.
A third suspect, Jack Andrew Smiley, 27, of Muncie, Ind., would have been arrested, but he fled from law enforcement and presented a weapon, according to investigators. Smiley was shot and killed. Two officers were also injured.
Guntersville Police Department, FBI, DHS and the District Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.
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