Child sex traffickers lured boy to filthy trailer to serve as sex slave promising video games, puppy

Adam Walser

7:32 AM, Jan 27, 2020

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Accused child sex traffickers lured two teen boys to St. Petersburg using video games, online apps and even the promise of a puppy, the I-Team uncovered in new details of the

horrific case that made headlines

last year after the state’s top prosecutor revealed the victim “was moved into a filthy trailer and used as a sex slave for nearly a year.”

Police said the men used video games and online apps, including Omegle, Roblox and Discord to find and communicate with their victims.

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A 2016 study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice estimates 36 percent of child sex trafficking victims are boys.

Neighbors at the mobile home park told the I-Team they met and saw the first victim, a 16-year-old Marion County boy, with his accused traffickers but never suspected he “was forced to serve as their own personal sex slave” — the accusations in a probable cause affidavit obtained by the I-Team.

The boy first met accused traffickers Mark Dennis and Andrew Clements at their April 2017 wedding. Police say he was brought to the wedding by a family friend, Eleanor McGlamory, who is also charged with conspiracy in the case.

Court records show Dennis and Clements immediately started texting the boy using Discord, a free video and texting app, and picked him up at his home 140 miles away just three weeks later.

Police say the men disabled the boy’s cell phone, so he couldn’t be tracked and then gave him a new name, birth date and back story.

Mark Dennis, Andrew Clements, Curtis Gruwell and Michael Schwartz all lived in the trailer with the boy at Silver Lake Mobile Home Park. Two other men, Michael Blasdel and J.R. Gauthier, regularly visited the trailer, according to police reports.

All six men currently face charges of conspiracy to commit human trafficking, among other charges.

Investigators said Dennis, Clements, Blasdel and Gauthier repeatedly raped the boy for nearly a year.

But neighbors at the trailer park told the I-Team they didn’t suspect anything unusual was going on inside the trailer until police announced the charges in early 2019.

Nobody reported seeing anything

The trailer was just feet away from the mobile home park’s garbage containers where residents of the 600-unit complex dump their trash.

“As many times as I went to the garbage can — cause they live across from the garbage can — I never heard anything, never seen anything out of order,” said neighbor Allene Dixon. “They would ride by in the golf cart and wave.”

Neighbor Mary Homerding told

I-Team Investigator Adam Walser

she didn’t suspect anything was amiss when she saw the first victim.

“The kid was polite. He seemed happy,” said Homerding, who told the I-Team she saw the first victim only once, riding in a golf cart with Clements. “He introduced him as his adopted son and the boy agreed.”

I-TEAM INVESTIGATIONS | The latest investigations from our I-Team

When she didn’t see the boy again, Homerding said she figured the adoption didn’t work out.

Homerding said neighbors didn’t suspect the men because they were well liked in the community.

“They put on a good front,” said Homerding. “They were always polite. They joked around.”

Groover-Skipper said it’s not uncommon that neighbors didn’t noticed a child sex trafficking victim was living in their midst.

“People are so busy that they go about their life and they don’t always look at clues or look at signs that something could be wrong,” said Groover-Skipper. “It’s so under the radar most of the time that the majority of the world has no clue that this type of thing is going on.”

Abigale Ackerman said she met the first victim when the men brought the boy to a Pasco County pagan festival in early 2018.

“I asked him if there was anything going on. It seemed like he was really depressed,” said Ackerman.

She told the I-Team Dennis offered to pay her $2,000 to make the boy a fantasy costume, but the deal never happened.

“They wanted me to make him a blue and white husky suit for his birthday,” said Ackerman, who revealed the men also showered the boy with other gifts. “(They gave him) expensive things like game consoles, a full blooded husky puppy that they bought him.”

The police reported finding that husky in the trailer after the boys were rescued.

Groover-Skipper said the gifts are all part of the grooming process traffickers use on victims.

“Even though there may not be physical chains around a victim, around a person, they have mental and emotional chains around a person,” said Groover-Skipper.

Whips, masks and text messages

Police also reported finding whips, leather masks and bondage tools inside the trailer.

According to police reports, Mark Dennis called himself “Grand Master” and referred to the other men and the boy as his “pups” during bondage rituals. The entire group referred themselves as the boy’s “family circle,” police said.

Groover-Skipper said traffickers know how to prey on victims’ deep-rooted need to belong and be part of a family.

But police recovered text messages showing the boy was unhappy

“I’m stressed to high hell,” the boy texted nearly a year into captivity. “I don’t want sex all the time.”

One of his abusers replied, “Which is such a shame when such a tight group of people who love you have come into your life.”

In 2018, police reported the men met a new victim online — a 17-year-old Louisiana boy they convinced to come live with them.

Eleanor McGlamory and Curtis Gruwell drove about 10 hours to pick the boy up in the woods near his rural Louisiana home in the dead of night, court records show.

Three days later, Louisiana police found the boy's online messages and alerted St. Petersburg Police, who found the missing Louisiana boy and the Marion County boy and rescued them from the trailer.

All seven suspects are currently behind bars awaiting trial, which is set for early May.

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The Florida Attorney General's Office says Blasdel, Gruwell and Gauthier have entered plea agreements and have agreed to testify at the trial.

The Florida Department of Children and Families says it's important to manage your child's use of multimedia by setting ground rules, explaining safety rules, keeping the computer in a common room and monitoring online activity.

For information on the agency's resources, visit

https://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/child-welfare/caregivers/multimedia.shtml

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has age appropriate information for children and their parents to learn how to protect themselves online and avoid becoming a victim.

You can find information by visiting:

https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home

If you believe you are a victim of Human Trafficking or suspect an adult is a victim of human trafficking, please visit the

National Human Trafficking Hotline,

or call them at 1-888-3737-888. If you suspect a child is a victim, please call the

Florida Abuse Hotline

at 1-800-96-ABUSE

TikTok Is A Pedophile Magnet And Unsafe For Kids, Warns Cyber Security Expert:

"TikTok also received the biggest fine in US history for gathering data on kids and selling it," revealed Susan McLean, former Victorian police cyber safety specialist.

By Shilpa Das Gupta

If your child is using Tiktok, one of the most popular video-sharing apps, they might not be safe as many have regarded it as a pedophile magnet. The Chinese application, which allows users to create and share short videos, came to limelight in early 2018 after achieving approximately 45.8 million users. Due to its video-only interface, unlike Facebook and Twitter, it gained popularity amongst children, especially those under the age of 16. The app, which has surpassed the popularity of Snapchat, requires a person to only be 13 years of age or above to sign up for an account. This exposes young and impressible kids to predators who can view their pictures and contact them unless the account is private.

Addressing the growing fears surrounding its privacy, Susan McLean, former Victorian police cyber safety specialist, said, "TikTok is not a safe app and there are many concerns, not the least bullying and grooming by predators." Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, she further warned, "Any app that allows communication can be used by predators." A recent investigation conducted by BBC News found that TikTok failed to remove the accounts of people sending sexual messages to teenagers and children.

Through this three month probe, the outlet was able to gather hundreds of sexual comments posted on videos uploaded by teens and kids. Although the company was successful in deleting most of these unsavory comments, they failed to suspend the accounts of users who posted them in the first place, thus going directly against TikTok's own rules of sexual content directed at children. "TikTok does not have the same safety sessions as some of the more well-known apps and routinely do not remove accounts that have been flagged as potentially a predator," explained McLean.

"Paedophiles like to watch kids sing and dance so they can take the videos and share them," she continued. "The data gathering is a huge concern and if the government is worried then it is not a place for kids." While TikTok's website explains how parents have the option to set their kid's profile to private, it also admits that "even with a private account, profile information – including profile photo, username, and bio – will be visible to all users." It also urged parents to 'counsel' their children not to disclose sensitive information like age, address, or phone number on the website.

The application is also feared to increase the scope of bullying through its platform and Kids Helpline revealed that they had received reports from its concerned counselors about the same. In one such occurrence, a child came across a video posted by a girl at school, where she was heard saying that she should "die in a hole." Additionally, there are many concerns about the privacy and data that are used by the company. "Both the US and Australian governments have told serving soldiers that they are not to use it because of security fears," revealed Ms. McLean. "TikTok also received the biggest fine in US history for gathering data on kids and selling it."

TikTok's in-app parental control feature is the combination of Screen Time Management and Restricted Mode, which is called Digital Wellbeing. This feature enables parents to set up a password when they turn on the digital well-being feature on their kid's phone and allows them to set a limit to the time their kid spends on the app per day watching only filtered content.
#TikTokSafetyAcademy

Defending its privacy policy, a spokesperson for TikTok said, "TikTok is an app for users age 13 and over, and we’ve given the app a 12 App Store rating so parents can simply block it from their child’s phone using device-based controls. In our Safety Centre we offer a library of educational resources for teens and their families, including safety educational videos and a safety blog series. As one of many apps with teenage users, we encourage parents to monitor their teenager’s account, review and adjust their privacy settings, help them report any inappropriate behavior, and have an open dialogue with their teenagers about how to be responsible and safe in all online activity."

How to Protect Your Children From Online Sexual Predators

A police notice to parents on the dangers minors face online.Credit...New Jersey State Police

By Michael H. Keller

Sexual predators have found an easy access point into the lives of young people: They are meeting them online through multiplayer video games and chat apps, making virtual connections right in their victims’ homes.

Many of the interactions lead to crimes of “sextortion,” in which children are coerced into sending explicit imagery of themselves.

We asked two experts how families could best navigate gaming and other online activity that can expose children to sexual predators.

Dr. Sharon W. Cooper is a forensic pediatrician at the University of North Carolina and an expert on sexual exploitation. Michael Salter is an associate criminology professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Both are internationally recognized for their work in the field of child sexual abuse.

The following recommendations have been condensed and edited for clarity.

Set rules for when and how your child can interact with others online.

Dr. Cooper: The conversation on online safety should begin with a statement that there will be rules because a parent loves his or her children and wants to see them be safe and have the best that is in store for them.

I empower parents to know that they control access and should always exert that control. Research has shown that parents who mediate online behavior have the most resilient children. It is about time online (not too much), content (age-appropriate and prosocial) and parental empowerment (access is a gift, not a right).

Spend time with your child on new games and apps.

Dr. Salter: Gaining some shared experience on a new service helps you identify risks, builds trust and provides an opportunity for nonconfrontational conversations. You can find out more about different platforms by going to trusted sources such as Common Sense Media and the eSafety commissioner website in Australia, which provide useful summaries of new apps and their safety features.

Talk to your child about online safety, and listen.

Dr. Salter: You can start by talking about our rights and responsibilities online. You can emphasize that, online, we have an obligation to treat people well, and a right to be treated well by others.

You can brainstorm with your child the kinds of situations where they might feel unsafe, and the strategies they can use to stay safe. Set reasonable rules, but keep the conversation open so they feel comfortable coming to you if something happens that concerns them.

We’ve had situations where children have stayed silent on really major sextortion cases for months because they were already in trouble online and didn’t want to be in trouble for breaking the rules, too. Groomers and abusers rely on silence.

Encourage your child to raise any concerns with a trusted adult.

Dr. Salter: Red flags that an online “friend” can’t be trusted: They tell the child to keep the relationship secret; they ask for a lot of personal information; they promise favors and gifts; they contact the child through multiple platforms and services; they initiate intimate discussions about the child’s appearance; and they insist on meeting face to face.

The first thing is for children to raise concerns with adults they trust. They should know never to send a nude image on the internet and remember they don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do. Their most common mistake is not listening to themselves when they feel uncomfortable.

Be on the lookout for warning signs of abuse
Dr. Cooper: We try to avoid making children feel they are wholly responsible for their safety because if they fail, they develop significant guilt and self-blame. That being said, the most important warning signs are too much time online and angry reactions when parents put in a cease-and-desist order. Others are contact with a “voice” they do not recognize, and contact with someone requesting inappropriate behavior, including duping their parents.

Educate your child about blocking users who make them uncomfortable.

Dr. Salter: While exploring a platform or app with your children, find out how to report and block users who make them feel unsafe. Encourage them to use this option if they receive unwanted or uncomfortable contact. If the user persists, contact your local police.

Don’t blame your child if abuse arises.

Dr. Salter: The first step is to remain nonjudgmental and reassure your children that they are not in trouble. Groomers rely on children feeling too ashamed to tell, so it’s important to be supportive.

The most common mistake parents make is embarrassment — being unable to create a space in their relationship with their children where it’s O.K. to discuss their emerging interest in sex. It’s really hard to talk to children about their sexuality.

Take charge as your child’s online protector. No one else will.

Dr. Cooper: The industry is not about the business of promoting safety. I have yet to see a new cellphone purchase accompanied with a “How to keep your children safe with this device” pamphlet. We should empower children and show them how to report to trusted authorities.

To report online child sexual abuse or find resources for those in need of help, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

Trinity Mount Ministries - CyberTipline - DOJ - NCMEC - Report Abuse! 1-800-843-5678

NCMEC’s CyberTipline is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. The public and electronic service providers can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, extra-familial child sexual molestation, child pornography, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet.

What Happens to Information in a CyberTip?

NCMEC staff review each tip and work to find a potential location for the incident reported so that it may be made available to the appropriate law-enforcement agency for possible investigation. We also use the information from our CyberTipline reports to help shape our prevention and safety messages.

Is Your Image Out There?

Get Support

One of the worst things about sextortion is feeling like you’re facing everything alone. But you have people who care for you and want to help. Reach out to them!

A trusted adult can offer advice, help you report, and help you deal with other issues. It could be your mom, dad, an aunt, a school counselor, or anyone you trust and are comfortable talking to. You can also “self report” by making a report on your own to the CyberTipline.

Don’t Give Up

Having a sexual exploitative image of yourself exposed online is a scary experience. It can make you feel vulnerable and isolated, but remember, others have been in the same situation as you – and they’ve overcome it. Learn the steps you can take to limit the spread of the content.

Trinity Mount Ministries - CyberTipline - NCMEC - DOJ - Report Child Abuse! 1-800-843-5678

In March 1998, using hardware, software, and programming assistance donated by Sun MicroSystems, NCMEC launched the CyberTipline® to further NCMEC’s mission of helping to prevent and diminish the sexual exploitation of children.

The CyberTipline provides the public and electronic service providers (ESPs) with the ability to report online (and via toll-free telephone) instances of online enticement of children for sexual acts, extra-familial child sexual molestation, child pornography, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the Internet. NCMEC continuously reviews.

CyberTipline reports to ensure that reports of children who may be in imminent danger get first priority. After NCMEC’s review is completed, all information in a CyberTipline report is made available to law enforcement.

In furtherance of NCMEC’s mission, the CyberTipline allows NCMEC to engage with the Internet industry on voluntary initiatives to help reduce the proliferation of child sexual abuse images online. NCMEC uses the information submitted to the CyberTipline to create and tailor NCMEC’s safety and prevention publications that are provided to educators, parents and the public to help to prevent future victimization.

Members of the public are encouraged to report information regarding possible child sexual exploitation to the CyberTipline.

Still no sign of missing Bridgeton girl months after her abduction

DAVID MADDEN

JANUARY 16, 2020 - 1:18 PM

Andrew Kramer/KYW Newsradio; inset: FBI

CATEGORIES: 

New Jersey

Related:

• Officials release sketch of man who may know details of Dulce Alavez's whereabouts
• FBI expert: Fear from immigrant community may hinder search for missing Bridgeton girl

NORTHFIELD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — It's been four months since a 5-year-old girl was abducted from a Bridgeton park. The search continues as the FBI chimes in publicly for the first time about their role in the investigation.

The national Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) unit was dispatched from Quantico as soon as Bridgeton police called, some 24 hours after Dulce Alavez vanished. Agents insist they’d always want to be called in sooner rather than later.

That said, Atlantic City-based Special Agent in Charge Gregory Ehrie says they’re still following leads and combing enough video to fill the Library of Congress several times over.

"The family should keep up hope. We do," Ehrie said. "We want a recovery of that child and any missing child. So the community and the family should not give up hope."

Nor should they worry about talking to the feds, even though many may fear exposing their immigration status.

It’s safe to say agents have expanded the scope of the probe across the country and into Alavez's biological father’s home in Mexico, given the way these cases go at this point in time.

"It’s been four months, but that’s not to say that law enforcement and investigative agencies aren’t thoroughly working this case," said CARD unit national supervisor Christina Bedford. "A lot of things are happening behind the scenes. We just ask that the community be patient with us and come forward with any relevant information to help us work this case."

There’s history of victims being found alive months, even years after they’re abducted. How busy are investigators? They’re in touch with local law enforcement daily, and still following leads, their most important clue a composite sketch of a man seen leaving the park with the child.

Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office

Kids Can Bypass Communication Limit Feature On iOS 13.3

If you have children that own Apple devices, be aware that the latest update for iOS 13.3 included a feature called Communications Limits.

It is designed to allow parents to set up parental controls to keep their kids from speaking to, texting with, or Facetiming with anyone who's not already in their contacts list.

It's a small but important feature addition. Hackers, scammers, bullies, or strangers can easily get phone numbers belonging to children. Even worse, they can then harass or threaten them in a variety of ways.

Unfortunately, there were problems with the implementation of the feature. For one thing, a bug in the code allowed kids to add a new number to the address book contacts list and use that as a springboard for bypassing the restrictions imposed by the software.

The bug was discovered by staffers at CNBC who were able to show that the feature worked fine on devices backed by iCloud, but not other services like Google's Gmail.

• Todd Haselton of CNBC had this to say about the discovery:

"A child should not be able to add the contact to the iPhone's address book without their parent entering their PIN first if the feature is working properly."

That's a succinct description of both the problem and its solution. Right now, Apple is scrambling to generate a fix. Although the company hasn't said as much, there's a very good chance that by the next patching cycle, the company will have a fix in hand.

If you were counting on the feature, one thing you can do until the fix is ready is to make use of the Downtime feature. That allows users to restrict access to apps according to a predefined schedule. It's not perfect, but it will get the job done in the short term.

Raise Awareness of Human Trafficking on January 11 with #WearBlueDay

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Office of Public Affairs

Raise Awareness of Human Trafficking on January 11 with #WearBlueDay

WASHINGTON – On Saturday, January 11, The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Blue Campaign will host #WearBlueDay, its largest one-day awareness initiative of the year. #WearBlueDay encourages the public to wear blue – the international color of human trafficking awareness – and post photos of themselves, or with friends, family, or colleagues, on social media with #WearBlueDay to raise awareness of this heinous crime. Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery and every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked around the world, including right here in the U.S. DHS is committed to fighting this human rights abuse through its many Components but also through public awareness and education. To achieve this goal, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will soon release its first strategy to combat human trafficking, the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and child sexual exploitation. This document will articulate the Department’s priorities over the next five years to more effectively and efficiently combat the growing threat of these illicit activities to our Homeland. Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf pictured with staff representing the DHS Blue Campaign and the Office of Public Engagement. The Blue Campaign contributes to the Federal mission of combatting human trafficking by providing public awareness materials, at no cost, to increase recognition and reporting of human trafficking. It also collaborates with law enforcement and the private sector to train frontline employees on how to respond to suspected human trafficking. For more information on #WearBlueDay and Blue Campaign, visit www.dhs.gov/bluecampaign. To report suspected human trafficking, contact the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line: 1-866-347-2423. For victim assistance, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).

Federal Jury Finds Virginia Man Guilty of Sex Offense Involving a Minor

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A federal jury convicted a Virginia man yesterday after a two-day trial, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. The jury found Jeffrey William Sexton, Jr., 27, of Virginia Beach, guilty of traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor on June 1, 2019.

“As a dad, I cannot adequately describe how much matters like this trouble me.  Cases like this are disturbing and difficult to work.  Sexton thought he was traveling to engage in sex with a 13 year old and, to the nightmare of every parent, even encouraged her to sneak out of her house,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “We are blessed that Sexton was communicating with an undercover officer and not a real 13-year-old.  We are doing everything within our power to keep West Virginia’s children safe from predators like Sexton.  I want to thank the FBI Task Force and my prosecution team for bringing this case to a successful conclusion.”

Sexton had previously been charged in a single-count indictment with travel to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor. At trial, evidence revealed that Sexton began communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old girl on a social messaging and dating application on approximately May 28, 2019. During the conversations, Sexton brought up the topic of oral sex with the purported minor. At approximately 1 a.m. on June 1, 2019, Sexton traveled from Bluefield, Virginia, to Bluefield, West Virginia, to meet the alleged 13-year-old after telling her to sneak out of her house. On May 31, 2019, Sexton had also reached out to chat with two other law enforcement officers posing as minors on the same messaging application, discussing oral sex with one officer who stated she was only 14 years old.

Sexton faces up to thirty years in prison when sentenced on May 19, 2020.

The investigation was the result of an undercover operation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s West Virginia Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which included task force officers from the Raleigh and Mercer County Sheriffs’ Departments.  

Senior United States Senior Judge David A. Faber presided over the trial. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Kathleen Robeson handled the prosecution.

Trinity Mount Ministries - CyberTipline - NCMEC - Report Abuse! 1-800-843-5678

NCMEC’s CyberTipline is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. The public and electronic service providers can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, extra-familial child sexual molestation, child pornography, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet.

What Happens to Information in a CyberTip?

NCMEC staff review each tip and work to find a potential location for the incident reported so that it may be made available to the appropriate law-enforcement agency for possible investigation. We also use the information from our CyberTipline reports to help shape our prevention and safety messages.

Is Your Image Out There?

Get Support

One of the worst things about sextortion is feeling like you’re facing everything alone. But you have people who care for you and want to help. Reach out to them!

A trusted adult can offer advice, help you report, and help you deal with other issues. It could be your mom, dad, an aunt, a school counselor, or anyone you trust and are comfortable talking to. You can also “self report” by making a report on your own to the CyberTipline.

Don’t Give Up

Having a sexual exploitative image of yourself exposed online is a scary experience. It can make you feel vulnerable and isolated, but remember, others have been in the same situation as you – and they’ve overcome it. Learn the steps you can take to limit the spread of the content.

To Facebook Administration - Stop Blocking Missing Children Posters!

To Facebook Administration,

Once again, you've blocked my ability to help missing and exploited children and to share child safety resources. I will send this message on all of my social media accounts (like I've done before), making thousands of people aware of Facebook's actions, rejecting my ability to help missing and exploited children through my organization, Trinity Mount Ministries. I will continue to post this message until this issue is resolved.

Facebook fails all of their users by blocking them from posting without telling them why, not offering an avenue to contact Facebook and address this issue and other issues, etc., which makes Facebook, overall, a very unpleasant experience. This is one reason you are losing users in large numbers, as well as all of the privacy issues, being cold and distant from the users - and inturn - causing anxiety and depression for no good reason.

Facebook - please get your act together.

Brett Fletcher, MHRS, MS.Psy, Th.G, Founder of Trinity Mount Ministries

https://lnkd.in/gC9aV6X

#Facebook #FacebookAdmin #FacebookPolicies #Unfair #Blocking #MissingChildren #ChildSafety #OnlineSafety #TrinityMountMinistries #BrettFletcher

8 men who thought they were meeting children for sex are arrested in Arlington, police say

A ninth man arrested during the operation faces drug and weapon charges.

By Tom Steele

Authorities arrested eight men last week on charges of trying to solicit children for sex in an operation by Arlington police, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

According to police, the men thought they were chatting online with children ages 13 to 16 and were taken into custody when they arrived at an Arlington location where they had arranged to meet the teens for sex.

Eight men were arrested on charges of online solicitation of a minor: Francisco Carreon, 60; Davion Carter, 24; Enrico Garcia, 25; Michael Owonifari, 19; Christopher Pintek, 46; Joshua Price, 23; Brian Watt, 36; and Christian Weitmann, 24.

Carter also was held on outstanding warrants; Garcia faces a drug-possession charge; and Price also faces charges of assault on a public servant and resisting arrest. All eight men have bonded out of custody.

Top row, from left: Francisco Carreon, Davion Carter, Enrico Garcia, Michael Owonifari. Bottom row, from left: Christopher Pintek, Joshua Price, Brian Watt, Christian Weitmann.
Top row, from left: Francisco Carreon, Davion Carter, Enrico Garcia, Michael Owonifari. Bottom row, from left: Christopher Pintek, Joshua Price, Brian Watt, Christian Weitmann.(Arlington Police Department)

A ninth man, Richard Wilson, 38, was arrested on drug and weapon charges, as well as outstanding warrants. Police said he drove one of the solicitation suspects to the location.

Police said more arrests could be made, as 10 people did not show up at the meeting spot.

“The collaboration between Texas DPS, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and Arlington PD demonstrates our commitment to identifying and arresting these individuals who prey on our most vulnerable victims, our children,” police Chief Will Johnson said in a statement. “We will continue to partner with other law enforcement agencies with these types of operations to send a clear message to the criminal element that we will not tolerate this type of behavior in our community.”