The Warren County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Shenandoah County man on Saturday following an undercover operation targeting online exploitation of children.
Tyler Allen Thompson, 30, of Edinburg, is charged with two counts of use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children, according to a Warren County Sheriff’s Office media release. Thompson is being held without bond at the Rappahannock-Shenandoah-Warren Regional Jail. Thompson’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 13 in the Warren County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
The investigative team at the Sheriff’s Office launched an undercover chat operation on Friday targeting the online solicitation of minors within the Warren County-Front Royal area, the release states. The efforts are designed to identify and arrest individuals who attempt to lure children via the internet for lascivious purposes, according to the release.
During the operation, an adult male initiated contact with an investigator, who posed as a girl under the age of 15, the release states. During the chat, the suspect asked for photos and lewd content from who he believed was a minor, according to the release. The suspect also sent obscene materials to the investigator, the release states.
Investigators identified Thompson as the suspect and obtained two warrants charging him with the felonies. Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office deputies apprehended Thompson at his residence on Saturday and took him into custody without incident, the release states. Deputies took Thompson to the jail where a magistrate ordered him held without bond.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is an active member of the Northern Virginia/DC Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is coordinated by the Virginia State Police. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office for assisting in the apprehension of the suspect.
Contact Warren County Sheriff’s Office with any information on the solicitation or exploitation of children. The Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone with further information regarding this case contact Lt. M.R. Ramey at 540-635-7100 or via email at mramey@warrencountysheriff.org.
