PERRY, Ga. — On Sunday, people at Walmart in Perry thought they saw a suspicious group of men and reported it to police. Some of them started spreading the story online, but were they sex traffickers? We set out to verify. Our source is Captain Heath Dykes with Perry Police.
Dykes says Perry Police received several calls and complaints on Sunday about a group of men taking photos at Walmart, so officers immediately went to check it out.
“Individuals that were taking pictures, they're Saudi nationals that are staying here in our community going through training at a local training facility, the Guardian Center here in Perry,” said Dykes.
Dykes says people inside the store believed the men were taking photos of them and their kids. He says one person even thought the men were following them around the store.
So was this alleged sex trafficking? According to Dykes the answer is "no."
“There was no indication that that's what was going on,” said Dykes.
According to the post Perry Police shared on Facebook: "There was a cultural misunderstanding about taking photographs of other people. Their group guide was notified and they apologized for any misunderstandings."
Dykes says they found the men not far from the store.
“We made contact with them at the hotel and identified that that was them and basically told them we were getting complaints, and they assured us they would stop,” he said.
Dykes says the men did not break any laws -- they were just taking photos in a public place. So, we can verify that no sex traffickers were found in Perry's Walmart.
Dykes says, thankfully, this situation turned out to be harmless, but he still encourages anyone that sees suspicious activity to contact Perry Police.