Repeat child sex offender arraigned after hotel raid | #childpredator | #kidsaftey | #childsaftey

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – A Chicopee sex offender is back behind bars, arrested while wearing a GPS ankle monitor and serving probation. 47-year-old Edgar Delvalle was arraigned Tuesday after being arrested late last week at a West Springfield motel on charges that investigators say involve the attempted exploitation of two young children.

He was being monitored, he was on probation, and police said none of that stopped him. Edgar Delvalle — a registered level three sex offender is now accused of trying to arrange a meeting with two young children at a West Springfield motel. It’s worth noting Delvalle believed the children were ages 8 and 12.

Video showed the moment law enforcement moved in on West Springfield last Friday. Undercover investigators from New Jersey initiated the case — tracking Delvalle online communications on a common classified platform before coordinating with Massachusetts State Police. Officials said Delvalle believed he was meeting two young children — who he believed to be ages 8 and 12. He was taken into custody without incident.

Delvalle has a prior record dating back to 2018 for similar offenses. In that case, investigators recovered child sexual abuse material from his phone. He was sentenced to seven to eight years in state prison in 2021 — but was released in January of last year due to time served. The District Attorney’s Office had argued for a longer ten-year sentence.

Following his release, Delvalle began a probation sentence that included GPS monitoring and a prohibition on unsupervised contact with children.

“It’s uncomfortable to acknowledge and think about that there are people out there who seek to exploit and harm children for their own benefit. But they are. They’re out there. So if you have children who are online, it’s important that people are aware of the threats that exist,” Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni explained at Wednesday’s press conference that Delvalle now faces charges including trafficking and enticement of a child.

He is being held without bail for violating his probation, on the new charges, bail is set at $250,000.

If your child is online, and most are, investigators said this case is a reminder that predators are actively looking for them, sometimes on platforms used every day for legitimate purposes. The D.A. said this investigation is ongoing. Delvalle is due back in court May 20th.