Robbinsville – The Graham County Sheriff's Office issued a statement July 9, regarding investigations launched by the agency into crimes against children.
Though the release does not single out any organization, the office said that it had became "aware of individuals, groups or businesses claiming to investigate crimes against children or represent themselves as working with or on behalf of the sheriff's office."
" … any individual, group or business making such claims is not affiliated with, employed by, or acting on behalf of the Graham County Sheriff's Office unless specifically identified by this agency," read a portion of the statement.
The release continued to reveal that a member of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force serves on behalf of the office.
"This investigator is specially trained and works in partnership with state and federal agencies to investigate crimes involving the exploitation of children," the statement said.
Anti-Crimes Against Children Taskforce-Graham County is listed as a non-profit organization on Facebook. The press release quickly gathered traction with the local advocate, which released a statement Friday in response.
"I am a firm believer in 'it takes a village' and I am just trying to be a very small part of that village just to raise awareness of issues pertaining to the well-being and happiness of the youth in our little community," the release said. "In my eyes, the more people in that 'village' the better. The world is a scary place.
I wish nothing but the best to everyone and their endeavors. I have no ill feelings toward anyone."
A link on the page leads to a website for Anti-Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes a mission statement.
"The ACAC Task Force is a non-profit organization serving western North Carolina," the statement says. "Our mission is to create community awareness, combat crimes against children, and advocate for survivors. Through our efforts and partnerships with agencies such as the ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force, local law enforcement agencies, local Child Protective Services, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, local schools, etc., we aim to work towards better protecting our children in today's society."