Dallam-Hartley-Sherman Counties Juvenile Probation Department

08/25/2026

08/04/2026

Taking your v**e to school to share with friends has many consequences. Please make better decisions this school year.

07/26/2026

07/24/2026

🛑 Don't forget to take care of yourself.🛑

On , remember that you can't pour from an empty cup. Your well-being matters, too. By prioritizing your own health, you're better equipped to support the students, families, and communities who count on you every day.

At Tall Cop Says Stop™, we believe prevention starts with healthy, informed people. That's why the Tall Cop Speakers Network is dedicated to providing education that strengthens those on the front lines of prevention.

Take care of yourself so you can continue taking care of others.

Learn more about bringing a Tall Cop Speakers Network expert to your school or community at www.tallcopsaysstop.com.

07/20/2026

A normal Thursday morning in Sumter, South Carolina ended with a mother's scream in her own front yard.

Geoffrey Hauptman kissed his wife goodbye and left for work. Minutes later, he called Betsy and told her to lock the doors. Someone was passed out in the yard. He was calling 911.

Betsy went room to room checking on their six children. She found five.

She ran to the front door to tell her husband Timothy was missing. Geoffrey looked at her. He shook his head. And she screamed.

Timothy Barnett, 13 years old, was lying in the front yard. He was gone.

Security footage from the night before showed Timothy sitting alone in the family car for nearly two hours, frantically scrolling through his phone in the dark. Nobody knew why. Not yet.

Police took his phone and his school Chromebook. Timothy had changed his passcode just before he died, and it took months to crack it.

Eleven weeks passed with no answers. Betsy called investigators twice a week. She drove to the station and refused to leave until someone spoke to her.

Then the truth surfaced.

A stranger with a New York area code had been contacting Timothy through a secret second Snapchat account. That stranger had an explicit photo of Timothy and was demanding $35 every single day to keep it from being posted online.

One of Timothy's last messages read: "Please. I am just a child."

He was a seventh-grade honors student at Alice Drive Middle School. He played baseball, held a yellow belt in karate, and practiced saxophone. His mother said he used to wake up every morning and brew her coffee before she even asked.

He left behind dozens of su***de notes addressed to the people he loved.

Betsy Hauptman has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Snapchat, alleging the platform was designed in a way that made her son easy prey. The case is now part of a massive federal consolidation involving more than 600 lawsuits against social media companies.

The FBI has received over 13,000 reports of online financial s*xtortion targeting minors. Most victims are young boys. Most of them suffer in silence because they are too ashamed to tell anyone.

Timothy never told a soul.

If your child uses Snapchat or any social media platform, have the conversation tonight. Not tomorrow. Tonight.

And please share this post. Every parent who sees it is one more family that might catch this before it is too late.

07/07/2026

🍎 Back-to-school means new challenges and new opportunities to stay informed.

As we return to the classroom, are we prepared for the issues shaping this school year?

Join an upcoming Tall Cop Says Stop® webinar to learn about:
📚 Back-to-school safety
📱 Scams, screens, and online risks facing youth
🏫 Supporting students and staff
💊 Emerging drug trends you can expect to see in schools this year
🍄 Psychedelic drug trends and what communities need to know

Whether you're a parent, educator, school administrator, prevention professional, healthcare provider, law enforcement officer, or community leader, you'll gain practical, up-to-date information you can use immediately.

✅ Register today and reserve your spot! Help your school and community start the year informed, prepared, and ready to respond.

See 🔗 in Comments!

04/25/2026

Yesterday we honored a legend. Judge Gordon has been my Judge/Boss for all 28 years, 7 months and 3 days (not that I’m counting) of my Juvenile Probation career. I wish him the very best in his retirement!!
Now we start a new chapter and I’m looking forward to it, I’m also looking forward to following in his footsteps 😉

Every change, even the unwanted ones, is clearing space for something better.”

04/09/2026

And probation officers!!

12/05/2025

The Reality of Trafficking

Online s*x trafficking in America isn’t happening in the shadows. It’s happening in plain sight- on apps our kids use, in schools, neighborhoods, and everyday digital spaces.

At Skull Games Solutions, we see the data every day:
• 88% of victims are missed
• 71% knew their trafficker
• 65% of recruitment happens online
• 99.96% of victims are never detected

This is why our Task Force exists.
This is why your support matters.

Awareness is the first step — action is the next.
👉 Donate: https://givebutter.com/getNthegame

👉 Join the Skull Games Society: https://skullgames.org/donate/