The chief of staff for Defense Department schools in the U.S. was arrested last week during a human trafficking sting, according to reports from different media.
Stephen Hovanic, 64, was apprehended for a pandering charge on Nov. 15, 2023, during a two-day operation by the Coweta County’s Sheriff’s Office, in Atlanta, according to a WSB-TV report on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
“Hovanic has worked for Department of Defense Education Activity for nearly three decades, the past 13 years as chief of staff for the Americas region,” stated an a report from Stars and Stripes.
Initiated on Nov. 15, 2023, approximately 25 miles southwest of Atlanta, members of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Haralson County’s Special Operations Division, which resulted in 26 individuals being arrested.
“… 12 for prostitution, 10 for pandering and four for pimping,” stated a Stars and Stripes report. “Six trafficked victims were rescued and moved to safety … three of the arrested individuals are under investigation for human trafficking and drug charges.”
Pandering, also known as paying for sex, and pimping are misdemeanors according to Georgia law.
Arrested on the sting’s first day, Hovanic told jail staff he works for the Defense Department in Peachtree City, home of the DODEA-Americas headquarters.
“Hovanic, an honorably discharged veteran who attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, began his academic career in 1982 as a high school vocational teacher, coach and school administrator for Virginia public schools,” reported Stars and Stripes. “He joined DODEA in 1996 as an assistant principal at Quantico Middle-High School and later served as principle of Dahlgren Unit School.”
Moving to Peachtree City in 2008, Hovanic became an instructional systems specialist and was eventually named chief of staff after two years, according to his online biography.
