The Kern County Sheriff's Office announced Monday they've arrested 15 people on various charges, including arranging to meet juveniles with the intent to perform lewd acts as part of an undercover operation targeting online child predators.
23ABC's Bayan Wang got the details of this undercover operation.
ESPECIALLY TIMELY NOW..
AS MORECHILDREN WILL BE USINGONLINE PLATFORMS MUCH MORE DUETO COVID-19.ACCORDING TO THE SHERIFF'SOFFICE FOR THE LAST SEVERALMONTHS DETECTIVES HAVE BEENPOSING AS MINORS ONVARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS... DURING THIS TIME 15 PEOPLEWERE ARRESTED."THE MOST TROUBLING THING WASEVERYSINGLE ONE OF THEM WERE CHARGEDWITH TRYING TO ARRANGE A MEETINGWITH A MINOR FOR SEXUAL ACTS."A KERN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICEUNDERCOVER OPERATIONTARGETING CHILD PREDATORSRESULTED IN 15 ARRESTSBETWEEN MAY AND JULY.THE SUSPECTS RANGED BETWEEN 21AND 54 YEARS OLD..
ALL OF THEMWITH INTENTIONS TO PERFORM LEWDACTS WITH MINORS....ACCORDING TO SHERIFF DONNYYOUNGBLOOD."YOU GET ON THE INTERNET AND ACTLIKE YOUR A JUVENILE AND THEYWILL COME... THESE PEOPLE CANTHELPTHEMSELVES... THEY CAN'T CONTROLTHEMSELVES...DETECTIVES POSED AS MINORSBETWEEN THE AGES OF 13 AND16 YEARS OLD ON VARIOUS SOCIALMEDIA AND ONLINE PLATFORMS ...RECEIVING NUMEROUS MESSAGES FROMTHE SUSPECTS,WHICH INCLUDED TWO REGISTEREDSEX OFFENDERS...... 13OF THE SUPSECTS SHOWED UP AT APLANED LOCATION WHERE THEYTHOUGHT A MINOR WOULD BE.
... A49-YEAR-OLD MAN EVEN DROVEDOWN TO BAKERSFIELD FROMOREGON... ...BUT EVEN MOREDISTURBING... THE SUPSECTS ALSOINCLUDED... A 51-YEAR-OLD CALIFORNIA HIGHWAYPATROL OFFICER AND A54-YEAR-OLD CALIFORNIADEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONSAND REHABILITION CONTRACTEDEMPLOYEE...BOTH OF THEM ARRESTED FORCONTACTING A MINOR WITH THEINTENT TO PERFORM LEWD ACTS ANDARRANGING AMEETING WITH THEM...THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT AREVERY TROUBLING TO US BECAUSE ITMAKES US ALL LOOK BAD...CHP ISSUED A STATEMENT IN JULYSAYING IN PART..
""THE CHPIS AWARE OF THE ARREST OFOFFICER BRIAN PARDUE BY THEKCSO FOR ALLEGED BEHAVIOR THATOCCURRED WHILETHE EMPLOYEE WAS OFF DUTY.
THECHP CONTINUES TOFULLY COOPERATE WITH THEINVESTIGATING AGENCY AND WEARE CONDUCTING OUR OWNINVESTIGATION INTO THEALLEGATIONS."PARDUE IS NO LONGER IS ANEMPLOYEE WITH THEDEPARTMENT....CALIFORNIA CORRECTIONAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES ALSOISSUED A STATEMENT ABOUT THEIREMPLOYEE, WHICH SAID...RICARDO MANCILLAS IS CURRENTLYON A LEAVE OFABSENCE FROM HIS POSITION AS ANINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYSPECIALIST I AT WASCO STATEPRISON.
WE CANNOT PROVIDECOMMENT ON AN OPENINVESTIGATION.
MEANWHILE SHEIFFYOUNGBLOOD HAD THESE WORDS OFADVICE FOR PARENTS.WE HAVE TO ENCOURAGE PARENTSTO ACTIVELY BE INVOLVED IN YOURCHILD'S LIFE... KNOW WHATTHEY'RE DOINGON THE COMPUTER.SHERIFF DONNY YOUNGBLOOD SAIDTHAT THIS OPERATION ISN'TOVER... HE SAYS DETECTIVES WILLCONTINUE TO HAVE A PRESENCEON VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIAPLATFORMS... IN AN EFFORT TOPROTECT VULNERABLE MINORS... INNORTH BAKERSFIELD... BAYAN WANG... CONNECTINGYOU....AND LATER TONIGHT... MORE ON HOWTO KEEP YOUR CHILDRENSAFE FROM ONLINE PREDATORS..ESPECIALLY NOWTHAT MANY OF THEM WILL BESPENDING MORE TIME ON THEINTERNET."YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO GIVE YOURKIDS LIBERTY TO YOU KNOW BETHEMSELVES, BUTTHERE ARE INTERNET WEBSITES THATYOU CAN AS A PARENT YOU CAN USETOMONITOR."COMING UP TONIGTH AT 23ABC NEWSAT SIX ..
WE'LL HAVE MOREON THOSE INTERNET SITES FORPARENTS.GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM GAVE ANUPDATE ON THE STATE'S COVIDRESPONSE TODAY... SPECIFICALLYMENTIONING THENEW STEPS TO SLOW THE SPREADTHAT HAVE PREVIOUSLYWORKED IN IMPERIAL COUNTY.HE SAYS THOSE STEPS WILL NOW BEIMPLEMENTED IN THE CENTRALVALLEY.IN IMPERIAL COUNTY THE STATEPARTNERED WITH LOCALS TOFIGHT THE RAPID RISE OFINFECTIONS STARTING IN JUNE.NEWSOM SAID THE IMPERIAL MODELINCLUDES A RESPONSE THATINDENTIFIES LOCAL NEEDS ANDFLOODING THE ZONE WITHRESOURCERS AND TECHNICAL SUPPORTTO BOLSTER HEALTH CARE FORACTIVE CASES."NOT WHERE WE WERE INIMPERIAL... BUT WE DON'T WANNASEE IT GO TO WHEREIMPERIAL WENT AND THATS WHY WEFELT ITS APPROPRIATE TOINTERVENE, USINGTHE INFORMATION USING THEEXPERIENCE THE BEST PRACTICE THEDATACOLLECTION THE APPROACH INIMPERIAL BEGINNING THAT APPROACHINCENTRAL VALLEY."ALSO DISCUSSED WAS THE PROCESSIN WHICHELEMENTARY SCHOOLS CAN APPLY FORA WAIVER IN ORDERTO BE IN THE CLASSROOM EVEN IFTHE SCHOOL IS WITHIN A COUNTYON THE STATE'S MONITORING LIST.NEWSOM ANNOUNCED THE DETAILS FORTHAT PROCESS WILL BEREVEALED THIS AFTERNOON.A BIT OF GOOD NEWS TONIGHT INTHE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
Twenty-seven men from Northeast Ohio have been arrested after they allegedly expressed interest in engaging in sexual activity with..