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REGIONAL – The Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) joined a multi-agency task force in executing ten arrest warrants for suspects involved in various child sex crimes.
The following statement was provided by CCSO:
Today, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office's (CCSO) High Tech Crimes Unit (HTCU) is releasing the results of Operation Cyber Knights, a strategic undercover Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) operation to apprehend dangerous, cyber predators who had the intent to engage in sexual activity with a child.
Over the course of this operation, officials from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, along with our partners at the United States Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Fugitive Task Force (USMS FCFTF), the United States Secret Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Sumter County Sheriff's Office, Hernando County Sheriff's Office, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Sarasota Police Department, and the Longwood Police Department worked collaboratively to capture these online child sex predators.
During the operation, law enforcement officials posed undercover as either a 13 or 14-year-old girl or boy and exchanged online messages with these subjects. Despite the acknowledgment of the child's age, in various messages these subjects engaged in sexually explicit conversations, detailing different sexual activities they hoped to perform with the child. In total, ten arrests were made as a result of this operation.
"Parents – predators know how susceptible and trusting our children are," said Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "They also know just how easy it is to gain access to your children and exploit them through the internet. The disgusting and sexually deviant behaviors these predators displayed in their online chats are monstrous. But to willingly arrange to meet up with a child to carry out these sickening acts makes them very real and very dangerous. I am extremely proud of the teamwork from the various law enforcement agencies that went into making these arrests possible and for knowing that thanks to their dedication, we've stopped these sexual predators from preying on children in our county and our surrounding counties."
The following subjects were arrested in Citrus County during this operation:
Christopher Covyaw SEXUAL OFFENDER (DOB 10/29/1972), Inverness, FL – 4 Counts of Transmission of Harmful Material, Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child to engage in any illegal, Sexual Offenders Failure to Register; Sexual Offenders Failure to Register; and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device.
Total bond set at $137,000.
Dustin Warlick (DOB 2/10/1988), Inverness, FL – Travel to Seduce/Solicit Child in Sex Act, 4 counts Knowingly Transmit Harmful Material to a Minor, Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Molestation, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
Total bond set at $137,000.
Fabricio Oswaldo Aguilar Beccera (DOB 5/10/1981), Ocala, FL – Travel to Seduce/Solicit Child in Sex Act, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device,
Total bond set at $27,000.
Kenneth Hottes (DOB 4/01/1979), Ocala, FL – Knowingly Transmit Harmful Material to a Minor, Travel to Seduce/Solicit Child in Sex Act, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
Total bond set at $52,000.
Bruce William Henderson Jr. (DOB 1/17/1972), Brooksville, FL – Travel to Seduce/Solicit Child in Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child to engage in any illegal act, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
Total bond set at $52,000.
Harold Wilfred Carver III (DOB 7/22/1976), Orlando, FL – Fugitive from Justice out of Washington County Virginia for 8 Counts of Rape and Sexual Battery.
No bond.
The following subjects were arrested on Citrus County warrants as part of this operation:
Timothy Brown (DOB 11/28/1968), Ponte Vedra, FL – 17 Counts of Transmission of harmful material to minor, and Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child to engage in any illegal act.
Total bond set at $450,000.
Lawrence Neu (DOB 8/28/1954), Lakeland, FL – 9 Counts of Transmission of harmful material to minor, Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child to engage in any illegal act, and Unlawful use of a Two-Way Communications Device.
Total bond set at $252,000.
Justin Rampe (DOB 11/21/1983), Williston, FL – Transmission of Harmful Material, Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child to engage in any illegal act, Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device.
No Bond Information Provided.
Phillip Simpson (DOB 7/09/1995), Anthony, FL – Transmission of Harmful Material, Computer Pornography; Solicit, Lure, or Entice, Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device.
Total bond set at $52,000.
CCSO would like to thank all of our local, state, and federal law enforcement agency partners who played an integral role in the success of this operation and were unwavering in their commitment to protecting our youth.
PASCO - A separate investigation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement resulted in the arrest of a Spring Hill man this morning.
According to reports, 33-year-old Michael Andrew Green was arrested at a residence on Hayes Road in Pasco County and charged with three counts of soliciting a parent of a child to consent to sex acts with the child, one count of transmission of child sexual abuse material, one count of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of use of a two-way communication device to facilitation the commission of a crime.
Officials say the investigation began in April of this year, when the FDLE received information alleging that Green had recorded himself sexually abusing a young child. During the undercover operation with an agent posing as a parent, Green solicited the "parent" to arrange for Green to have sex with the child.
Green was booked into the Pasco County Jail and additional charges are pending, say officials.
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