By KTVU Staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Investigators arrested 11 suspects, including a middle school assistant principal, as part of a child exploitation sting operation in San Jose.
According to the San Jose Police Department, the operation was devised to combat child exploitation and human trafficking leading up to Super Bowl LX. Between Feb. 3 and Feb. 6, authorities arrested the suspects for communicating with the intent to meet with a minor to engage in sexual activity.
School official among those detained.
Dig deeper:
The first arrests occurred Feb. 3 and included Cesar Rodriguez-Vela, 35, and Jose Garcia-Hernandez, 25. Also arrested that day was Ruben Guzman, 31, an assistant principal at Sunrise Middle School.
Authorities said Guzman communicated with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old boy. Despite knowing the child was underage, Guzman allegedly expressed his desire to engage in sex acts with the minor and offered money in exchange, police said. Guzman arranged to pick up the child in San Jose, but he was met by officers when he arrived.
He remains in custody.
School district responds
What they're saying:
Sunrise Middle School officials said they are cooperating fully with the investigation. The school stated that the allegations against Guzman do not involve the campus or its students.
"Our immediate priority was student safety. The individual was removed from campus right away and will have no further contact with students," said Teresa Robinson, the school’s director. "Since then, we have spoken with students in age-appropriate ways, communicated directly with families, and made counseling support available on campus."
Robinson added that there is currently no information indicating any Sunrise students were involved.
"While this is deeply upsetting, it does not reflect who we are as a school," she said.
Additional arrests
Dig deeper:
Over the following days, officers arrested eight motr suspects. They were Nelson Mejia-Rivas, 36; Dexter Goody, 72; Luis Medina De Leon, 36; Gonzalo Yesca, 25; Michael Valdeolivar, 42; Harjeet Singh, 24; Joey Minh Truc Nguyen, 35; and Frank Huang, 58
All suspects were booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on charges including attempted lewd acts with a minor and arranging meetings with a minor for sexual purposes.
San Jose police arrested 11 suspects between Feb. 3 and Feb. 6 as part of a human trafficking and child exploitation sting operation ahead of Super Bowl LX.
The Source: This story was written based on information from the San Jose Police Department.
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