CLEVELAND (WHDH) — Authorities arrested 27 people in Ohio who they say showed interest in engaging in sexual activity with online users they believed to be minor children.
The suspects, who range in ages from 21 to 61 years old, engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with undercover officers posing as children on popular social media applications as part of Operation Moving Target that lasted from Aug. 24 to 27, according to the Cuyahoga County Office of the Prosecutor.
They traveled to a pre-arranged location, which was a vacant house in Cuyahoga County, to engage in sexual activity with whom they thought was a child, the prosecutor’s office added.
Several of the suspects allegedly had firearms, condoms, personal lubricant, sex toys and drugs in their possession.
They were arrested and transported to Cuyahoga County Jail on charges including attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, importuning, and possessing criminal tools.
“As we have seen the number of Cybertips dramatically increase this year, it is clear that online predators remain a serious threat to our children,” Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said. “Hopefully the success of yet another operation serves as a stern warning to offenders that you will be found, you will be arrested, and you will be prosecuted.”
The prosecutor’s office added on Twitter that this is “why you should monitor your kids online.”
Those arrested include:
- Adam Davis, 41, Painesville, OH
- Rajwant Singh, 44, Mayfield Heights, OH
- Germaine Truett, 38, Cleveland, OH
- Jason Johnson, 37, Cleveland, OH
- Ronel Washington, 24, Garfield Heights, OH
- Hector Pietri, 29, Cleveland, OH
- Kyle Vansteenburg, 28, Cleveland, OH
- Raphael Robinson, 26, Cleveland, OH
- Corey Huber, 32, Elyria, OH
- Michael Labondano, 30, Lyndhurst, OH
- Nicholas Cook, 38, Bedford Heights, OH
- Chazz Johnson-Hawks, 22, Solon, OH
- Ian Rensel, 43, Bedford, OH
- Jerry Harris, 35, Westlake, OH
- Carson Strnisa, 21, Seven Hills, OH
- Justin Cowger, 22, Cleveland, OH
- Kim Koran, 61, Cleveland, OH
- Nathan Troup, 39, New Castle, PA (Registered sex offender in Pennsylvania)
- Abed Aldur, 45, Parma, OH
- Arturo Martinez, 47, University Heights, OH
- Phillip Jones, 30, Streetsboro, OH
- Keith Kozak, 41, Brooklyn, OH
- Pedro Correa Jr., 42, Cleveland, OH
- Ryan Dempsey, 37, Ashtabula, OH
- Johnathan Smith, 34, Cleveland, OH
- Robert Spisak, 45, Broadview Heights, OH
- Jason Schmucker, 37, Canton, OH
Ohio ICAC Task Force “Operation Moving Target” Results in Arrest of 27 Online Offendershttps://t.co/KPbH1gxmHw @ohioicac @TheJusticeDept @FBICleveland @CLEpolice
@CortlandPD_Ohio @NewburghHtsPD @KentOhioPolice @SecretService @DHSgov @SolonPolice @Streetsboropd pic.twitter.com/7IhglC63Dc— Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office (@CuyahogaProsOf) August 28, 2020
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)