UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Detectives with the Union County Sheriff’s Office have arrested four individuals accused of attempting to sexually exploit minors online as part of an ongoing operation. The arrests are the result of proactive online investigations conducted by the Special Victims Unit since February, targeting individuals using chat rooms and social media to...Read More
Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback. Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Since Texas passed a law in 2023 requiring public school districts to have...Read More
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A man will spend a year in prison and register as a sex offender for 10 years after pleading guilty to a charge stemming from an undercover operation. Sean Rhea pleaded guilty to child solicitation by electronic communication. A judge sentenced him to a year in prison, two years sex offender probation,...Read More
The man allegedly showed police a nude picture of a 12 or 13-year-old before being arrested. MAGAZINE, Arkansas — The Logan County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said on Thursday that a member of an Indiana biker group has helped in the arrest of an alleged child predator. A Facebook post from LCSO said that on Nov....Read More
BRANSON, Mo. — Alex Rosen, leader of the vigilante group Predator Poachers, was arrested in Branson after aggressively confronting someone he alleged was a pedophile. The Branson Police Department (BPD) said in a post on Facebook that they were called to a disturbance at the Steak ‘n Shake involving Rosen. They received reports of Rosen...Read More
A prominent advocate for child safety in upstate New York has been arrested on child pornography charges, authorities announced Wednesday. John Todaro, 49 of Amherst, was charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing a sexual performance by a child, both felonies, the New York State Police said in a statement. Todaro...Read More
Jersey Shore, Pa. — A 24-year-old Jersey Shore man was caught by a local vigilante pretending to be a 14-year-old girl online, police say. Bobby Gene George was filmed on Dec. 19 as he was confronted by the man pretending to be a minor outside an apartment in the 1200 block of Allegheny Street. George...Read More
The top federal prosecutor in Albany on Monday said he was considering a lawsuit that would force telecommunications and social media companies to use algorithms to monitor users’ conversations for sexual predation. Interim U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said he has been stunned by cases of sexual exploitation of children and pledged to do...Read More
Defense cites PTSD in appeal for lower sentence While Kealty faced a maximum penalty of life in prison, under federal sentencing guidelines for someone like him with no criminal record, the range was 10 years behind bars to 11 years and three months, court records show. Knox sought the full 135 months for “grooming” the...Read More
AURORA, Colo. — Two suspects, including an airline pilot, were arrested in Aurora following a multi-agency online child predator operation that began last month. The Aurora Police Department (APD) Internet Crimes Against Children Unit was one of the agencies involved. Ralph Edward Bledsoe, 68, of Florissant and Gregory Thomas Daniels, 39, of Aurora were both...Read More
