Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025
Vol. 6, No. 14
PCMExplorer Local People. Local Stories.
‘THE ONE PERCENTERS’ PCM honors veterans at middle school program and elementary reverse parade Nov. 11
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer Left: Monroe Elementary students wave flags as veterans drive by for a reverse parade on Nov. 11. Right: Local veterans tell about their time in the service and sixth grade students perform during the middle school program on Veterans Day.
‘Oh, good grief !’ PCM’s ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ shines on stage during four weekend performances
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer Performers took to the stage for four shows of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” Nov. 14 to 16. The PCM High School drama department had two casts who each performed in two shows along with the ensemble and crew for the fall musical.
County attorney urges families to monitor their children’s online activities By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer When local law enforcement and prosecutors from the county attorney’s office met in late March for a training course to catch child predators, they didn’t expect to use their newfound skills so quickly. By the second day of training, officers found a man trying to solicit sex from what he believed to be a minor. Ever since then it seems like these types of crimes continue trending upwards. Jasper County Attorney Scott Nicholson said every individual charged has been using the internet to target children. He is
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urging families to take notice and monitor their kids’ use of online platforms, particularly social media. “Adults have figured out they can get into these games and have contact with these children inside the games that leads to outside meetings,” Nicholson said before speaking
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to parents and predators directly. “Parents, you need to be hyper aware of your children’s online access. Predators, we’re going to catch you.” Assistant County Attorney Nicholas Pietrack said adults are attempting to groom and/or sexually exploit children through social media and even online games
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like Roblox, which is currently embroiled in lawsuits from families saying sex offenders and sexual predators used its platform to communicate with their kids. “Kids have cellphones nowadays at younger and younger ages,” Pietrack said in an interview with Newton News. “So they have more access to be-
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Prosecutors note rise in adults using social media to try to groom, sexually exploit kids ing plugged into the whole world, and there are dangers out there that we are just now fully understanding. And it’s always changing.” Nicholson said the county attorney’s office and local law enforcement are both very confident in their technical capabilities to investigate these types of crimes. From what he has gathered, many parents are not aware of these types of dangers. But he said it is very important to be mindful of online activity. Newton Police Chief Rob Burdess agrees. He told Newton News that keeping children safe is one of the police department’s top priorities.
Officers are committed to tracking down and stopping those who try to target children online, he said, but police cannot do it alone. Parents play a huge role, too. “Know who your kids are talking to, set limits on screen time and, most importantly, keep those conversations open about what they’re doing online,” Burdess said. “The more involved you are, the safer your kids will be. Together, we can stop predators before they have a chance to hurt anyone.” Offenders of these types of sex crimes are getting heavy sentences in some cases. In PREDATORS | 3
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