Kids are given access to electronic devices at younger ages than ever before.
This early introduction has had its intellectual benefits, but also introduces a whole new realm of danger that parents must be cautious of.
Predators are lurking behind their screens waiting for the opportunity to cause harm to our children, but this time the authorities got to them first!
It doesn’t take much for a deranged man or woman to gain the trust of a vulnerable minor.
“There are nearly 500,000 identified individuals in the United States trafficking child pornography on the internet,” According to Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
More than 50% of all victims of online sexual exploitation are 12-15 years-old reports the FBI and 89% of sexual exploitations of minors occur in internet chat rooms and instant messaging.
These statistics are terrifying and eye-opening.
Thankfully, the police department in Chesterfield County, Virginia has been working tirelessly to charge online predators in their region.
All the hard work has begun to pay off as 20 men received 45 charges “relating to the online solicitation of minors following a two-day sting in Chesterfield, Virginia,” reports Activist Mommy.
Not only were these perverts soliciting minors online and through social media, but they were believed by authorities to be encouraging in-person sexual encounters according to ABC affiliate WRIC.
Chesterfield Police said in a statement:
“The suspects communicated with people they believed to be underage members of our community and arranged to meet them at a location to have sexual relations.”
This is absolutely repulsive!
It is hard to imagine the damage they have already done to numerous children by exposing them to their deranged thinking.
The innocent mind of a child should not be tainted by the perverse thoughts and desires of adult men who cower behind the safety of a computer screen.
Much to the surprise of the predators who went to meet a child for an inappropriate encounter, the police were there waiting for them and arrested them on the spot!
Online child sex sting nets 20 arrests in Virginia, police say https://t.co/i2XEMgjjMj pic.twitter.com/J3vTvGEuCT
— WPXI (@WPXI) March 25, 2021
Here are the names of the 20 men who were arrested according to the Chesterfield Police:
Larry A. Brown, 40, of Chesterfield; Joseph R. Ruffin, 51, of Richmond; Jeffrey S. Harrell, 43, of Chesterfield; William M. Rhea, 28, of Chesterfield; Gregorio Q. Curuchich, 27, of Henrico; James G. Bower III, 56, of Chesterfield; Jonathan Ortiz Vitervo, 19, of Richmond; Michael K. Rawlings Jr., 38, of Hopewell; Brian P. McTamaney, 38, of Richmond; Sandeep K. Kichannagari, 30, of Henrico; Jose Sanchez-Morales, 45, of Hopewell; Darryl D. Smith, 43, of Richmond; Henry L. Raynor, 35, of Newport News; William A. Mustain, 68, of Richmond; Luis A. Aguillon, 31, of Henrico; Anthony B. Green, 32, of Chesterfield; Abdul N. Ahmadi, 37, of Fredericksburg; Leonardo S. Salmaron, 30, of Chesterfield; Keith M. Fletcher, 30, of Essex; and Julian A. Jackson, 31, of Chesterfield.
Chesterfield Police Chief Col. Jeffrey Katz issued a warning on Facebook to all those with precious little ones under their care:
“I would like to remind parents, guardians, and caretakers that this type of exploitation is a reality and it exists at a level and frequency most good people would rather not imagine. I don’t say this to scare you, but rather to impress upon you the importance of maintaining oversight on your youth’s online activities. Predators count on your good and well-natured tendency to trust the children in your lives and to give them the privacy we might expect in our own lives. Please don’t fall into that trap. Don’t let your child drive on any highway, including the information superhighway, without supervision.”
Just as Chief Katz told all the predators who were listening that he is “actively looking” for them, we should be actively protecting our children’s minds and bodies by being vigilant in what they are exposed to on the internet.
There is no such thing as mindless browsing on the web anymore and those wishing to do harm know that, so it’s time we do too!