They range in age from 17 to 57, hail from Georgia and South Carolina and include a house painter, an industrial worker and an elementary school principal.

The one thing the 39 individuals have in common -- they were all arrested this summer for trying to have sex with children, according to officials with the Effingham County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies from the Effingham and Chatham County Sheriff's Offices lured the men to the area over the past 10 weeks in "Operation Summer Heat" by pretending to be underage children. The suspects were arrested on felony charges of child molestation or computer pornography. The mugshots of 37 of the men were released to the public Tuesday, and two photos were not released because the men were age 17.

"This operation was designed to send a clear message from Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie and Chatham County Sheriff Johnny Wilcher that individuals who target our children for their own purposes will not be tolerated in Effingham and Chatham counties," said Effingham Sheriff's Investigator Joe Heath. The Effingham County Sheriff's Office is an affiliate member of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crimes against Children Task Force.

Some of the suspects would ask, "Is this a sting?" or "You aren't a cop, are you?" and despite their misgivings, would still arrive at sting sites where they were arrested, officials said. They would try to meet children in public places such as a park or a fast-food restaurant or more secluded places such as a private home - some place the offender would feel safe.

But instead of a young boy or girl, they would find a sheriff's deputy, ready to make an arrest.

"Some offenders had to be wrestled," Heath said. "Some had to be chased, but in the end all the offenders ended up in the Effingham County jail."

The Effingham Sheriff's Office has been making these kinds of arrests for five years now, and their efforts have been covered extensively by the media.

But still, the men turn up.

"Apparently, it's a very, very, very powerful enticement," said Ogeechee Assistant District Attorney Brian Deal.

"We're bailing a boat with a thimble," Heath said.

Deal said the men who plead guilty tend to get shorter prison terms, but even they get 10 years and a long probation term when they must register as a sex offender. Those who go to court have been getting 30 to 40 years in prison.

Deal said the effort is worthwhile because it takes some offenders off the streets.

"You'll never convince me that this is the first time that they've tried to do it," he said.

Those arrested this summer include Portal Elementary School Principal Paul David Hudson, who was charged with attempted child molestation. Hudson's arrest was covered by the media earlier this summer. He resigned as principal, a job he held since 2001.

Hudson's case, along with the cases of several other men arrested in the summer sting, was brought before a grand jury in Effingham on Monday.

Deal said the arrests are a reminder to parents to keep a close eye on their children's Internet activities.

"There could be a knock on the door from someone they don't want to see," he said.

Those arrested:

Adam Alewine, 36, Rincon

Johnathan Baker, 26, Savannah

Odrae Barrett, 26, Port Wentworth

Alexander Belanovich, 49, Guyton

Chadwick Boyd, 24, Sylvania

Deonte Brown, 21, Port Wentworth

Travis Butterbaugh, 31, Claxton

Christopher Carroll, 57, Rock Hill, S.C.

Trenton Carter, 42, Bluffton

James Cheek, 35, Hawkinsville

William Fischer, 24, Pooler

Joseph Fountain, 27, Savannah

Joshua Garner, 21, Pooler

William Gibbs, 52, Bloomingdale

Aaron Green, 26, Guyton

Kevin Hollingsworth, 30, Guyton

Paul Hudson, 49, Statesboro

Thomas Hughes, 45, Pooler

Sean Iwan, 21, Rincon

Gregory Jackson, 48, Newington

Brian Jones, 35, Evans

Andra Keye, 32, Port Wentworth

Jacob Laport, 25, Alto

Matthew Long, 30, Hinesville

Randy Murphy, 29, Savannah

Chad Nephew, 23, Hinesville

Calvin Oliver, 39, Garden City

Johnathan Perkins, 25, Ellabell

Johnathan Purcell, 35, Rincon

Renato Ramos, 22, Swainsboro

Rakeem Scott, 23, Savannah

Robben Sims, 31, Savannah

Douglas Smith, 33, Seabrook, S.C.

Matthew Wilkison, 23, Rincon

Joseph Williams, 31, Statesboro

Henry Williams, 46, Bloomingdale

Lloyd Wray, 41, Hinesville