In just five days the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and partner agencies arrested 29 men using the internet attempting to meet minors for sex, according to Sheriff T.K. Waters.
He said Operation Checkmate took place April 27 to May 2 but still expects more arrests, including three men who have warrants out for them.
The men are accused of using online sites to lure who they thought were teenagers to meet for sex. Instead of a teenager waiting for them, it was a narcotics unit or SWAT team. They ranged in age from 22 to 72 years old and included repeat offenders.
“The men we arrested come from different backgrounds,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “One managed security at venues across the city, including the stadium and the arena. Another was a youth athletics coach. They are husbands, boyfriends, fathers and brothers.”
Waters said five are in the United States illegally. He also noted several of the prominent cases, including a man previously charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for an incident involving two boys had his Jeep Wrangler outfitted with cameras.
After his arrest, “detectives discovered that his vehicle appeared equipped for child exploitation,” he said. “The seats of the Wrangler had been folded down, the interior was carpeted with blankets, and disturbingly the vehicle, a Wrangler, was outfitted with multiple cameras.”
Investigators also discovered sexual paraphernalia in his vehicle.
It’s frustrating,” Waters said about some of these men being repeat offenders. “I think you should just put them all in prison forever, that’s just my opinion, or we get rid of them completely. Because my experience tells me that they can’t be cured. … These are all predators, they may not be legally designated predators, but they’re predators.”
The Sheriff’s Office said operations like this lower the demand for child exploitation and help keep children safe. The more they’re done, the more it brings awareness to the issue.
“Parents, we can’t stress this enough: be aware of who your child is talking to online,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Even when a site is marketed towards children, that doesn’t mean predators like these men aren’t waiting to take advantage of them.”
(This story has been updated with more details.)
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Child sex sting in Jacksonville arrests 29 men, some repeat offenders
Reporting by Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
