For the past several weeks Detectives from the Anacortes Police Department, working in collaboration with the Skagit County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, have been conducting an online operation aimed at sexual predators that target juveniles.
Beginning in the first week of November an ad was placed online with a social networking service. The ad was placed on the website for about 12 hours and more than 100 responses were received. Responders to the ad were told online that they were communicating with a 13-year-old girl. In reality, they were communicating with an Anacortes PD Detective. Many of the people responding to the ad almost immediately began to ask sexual questions and several wanted to meet with the girl for the purpose of a sexual contact.
Anacortes PD has now begun to make arrests based upon the sexually-based communication with a minor that several of the ad responders have initiated. In one case a 49-year-old Mount Vernon man traveled to Anacortes to meet with the 13-year-old girl. Evidence located on his person and cell phone confirmed his intent was to have sex with her. A 24-year-old Oak Harbor man was arrested after texting numerous times describing detailed sex acts he wished to perform with the girl and requesting that she send him naked pictures of herself. He has been booked in to the Skagit County Jail.
Capt. Lou D’Amelio said further arrests are expected based upon information that has already been gathered in this investigation.
He said, "Anacortes PD undertook this operation in an effort to detect and arrest adults who target juveniles in the online environment. Online predatory relationships often lead to crimes involving sex offenses, drugs, and human trafficking. Anacortes PD and the Skagit County Prosecutors office will continue to investigate and prosecute adults who use the Internet to target juveniles."