Sheriff: Undercover operation discovers 34 alleged child sexual abusers in Fresno County
An undercover operation in Fresno County discovered 34 alleged sexual child abusers.
Their faces were shown Friday during a news conference by Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, who announced the arrests made during the operation that began July 20. The latest arrests are part of about 90 others this year. So far, there has been double the amount of arrests for similar alleged acts compared to the same time last year.
Mims said a plausible reason is children are home more than usual during the coronavirus pandemic and adults who are online are taking advantage of the opportunity. The undercover sting was called “Operation COVID Chat Down.”
“Even though it’s gratifying to catch these criminals that we are talking about today, I can’t help but think about who are we missing,” Mims said.
The operation involved several police agencies in Fresno County cities as well as Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. Mims said detectives posed as children online and lured suspected child abusers to a meeting spot only for the suspects to be arrested.
She did not disclose the apps used to catch the suspects, all men. But Mims said the activity from online child abusers ranges across the internet and she encouraged parents to talk with their children and monitor their online behavior.
Although the men arrested allegedly intended to meet with children, they never did. But Mims said, “We believe there are real children victims out there.”
Two cases highlighted in the news conference included a Clovis man who allegedly had images of infant rape and bondage. Another man allegedly wanted to engage in unprotected sex with a minor female — he later reportedly told detectives he was HIV positive.
Twelve of the men arrested in the latest operation, which is ongoing, have been arraigned in court. The others have pending charges. The sheriff said the alleged crimes do not qualify for early release under the zero-dollar bail rule.
Some of the men arrested traveled from outside of Fresno County in an attempt to meet children, Mims said. A few of them had visible injuries to their faces. Mims said suspects allegedly tried to destroy evidence at the time of their arrest.
“Sometimes we had to use some force,” she said.
Tatum King, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said at the news conference that parents and caregivers should be more aware of the problem with online child abuse. He said criminals are exposing the new reality of children staying home and spending more time online.
“This is not just a problem here in Fresno and the Central Valley,” King said. “It’s an international scourge.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 12:52 PM.
