GBI arrests Alto man in child abuse investigation

Paten Diontae Carter, 17, of Alto, was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) and charged with aggravated stalking and child exploitation.

On May 14, Cornelia Police requested that the GBI investigate an allegation of child exploitation.

Carter was booked into the Habersham County Detention Center on June 5.

In early May, a post on Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell’s official social media page reported that 17-year-old Paton Diontae Carter had been reported as a juvenile runaway and the sheriff’s office was asking for the public’s help in locating Carter. He was last seen at his home on Newcastle Drive in Alto on May 10. Several comments from residents on the post described Carter as a “sweet,” “polite,” and “smart” young man.

On May 11, the post reported that Carter had been found and was safe.

The GBI investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Cornelia Police at 706-778-4314 or the GBI’s Cleveland Regional Investigation Office at (706) 348-4866. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by phone at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477) or online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-onlineor by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.