The arrests were detailed by Village of Liberty Police Chief Steven D’Agata during a press conference on Thursday, Aug. 20, following investigations dubbed “Operation Dangerous DMs” and “Operation Registry Repo.”
Although the investigations were separate, D’Agata said they shared the same objective: “protecting children, protecting this community, and using proactive law enforcement to identify danger before another person becomes a victim.”
Operation Dangerous DMs
Six people were arrested over several months as part of Operation Dangerous DMs, an undercover investigation targeting adults who allegedly used social media and online communications to contact people they believed were children for sexual purposes, according to D’Agata.
Officers posed online as underage children, and police allege the suspects continued communicating with them despite believing they were speaking with minors.
“These were not brief or impulsive conversations,” D’Agata said, adding that in many cases, the communications developed over days, weeks, and sometimes longer.
Police allege the suspects engaged in sexually explicit communications, sent or requested sexual material, discussed sexual activity, and, in several cases, arranged to meet the person they believed was a child.
Those suspects then allegedly traveled to predetermined locations expecting to meet minors but were instead met and arrested by Liberty Police officers and detectives.
The six defendants named by police are:
- Glenn Clark, charged with second-degree attempted rape;
- Raion Coonjah, charged with second-degree attempted rape;
- Charles Squillante, charged with attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor;
- Kevin Chmura, charged with second-degree attempted rape;
- Dylan Davies, charged with second-degree attempted rape;
- Emmet Fulton, charged with second-degree attempted rape.
Operation Registry Repo
Another 10 people were arrested as part of Operation Registry Repo, which focused on registered sex offenders living in the Village of Liberty and whether they were complying with requirements under New York’s Sex Offender Registration Act, according to police.
Officers conducted a comprehensive review of registered offenders in the village and investigated suspected violations over several months. The investigation culminated in a coordinated enforcement operation on Wednesday, Aug. 12, when officers and detectives arrested all 10 people charged in connection with the probe.
According to Liberty Police, those charged included Lee Zimmerman, Andrew Grace, Toby Murchison, Oscar Davis, Christopher Call-Ross, Jason Caskey, Brian Hendrickson, Darrin Ort, Yochel Powell, and Bascillio Vogel.
Most were charged with felony failure to register, with some facing multiple counts. Police information also indicated Vogel was charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault and resisting arrest.
The two operations resulted in 16 arrests in all.
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