Colorado ICAC Arrests 2006
Colorado Springs Police Department
Detectives
from the Colorado Springs Police Department concluded an internet crimes
investigation with the arrest of a 37 year old male from Colorado
Springs. The male was arrested for downloading and distributing child
pornography images. The Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the
Colorado Springs Police Department was contacted by members of the
Oregon Internet Crimes Task Force concerning an email account that had
been downloading and distributing child pornography images in Oregon.
The Oregon officials received a Cyber-tip complaint about the child pornography distribution from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in August 2005. Further investigation by the Oregon officials revealed that the account holder had moved from Oregon to an address in Colorado Springs.
On December 16th, 2005, Detectives from the Colorado Springs Police Department contacted the male at his address in Colorado Springs. A laptop computer was removed from the man's home and submitted for a computer forensic examination.
The computer forensic examination found numerous sexually explicit images of children on his laptop computer. During an interview with detectives, he said he would frequent chat rooms filled with persons trading child pornography. He downloaded and traded child pornography images with persons in the chat rooms. He downloaded and traded child pornography images from his homes in Oregon and Colorado Springs. He turned himself in at the Police Operations Center and was booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center on the felony charge of Sexual Exploitation of Children. The male was identified as Michael Paul Pettyjohn (DOB: 07-17-68).
Pueblo County Sheriff's Office/ICE/Douglas County Sheriff's Office
On 01/26/06, Steven Dominquez, 23, a former Pueblo Mall security guard
was arrested by officers with the Colorado Internet Crimes Against
Children Task Force. This was a joint investigation spanning several
months. Mr. Dominquez had applied to the El Paso County Sheriff's
Office for employment as a law enforcement officer. Mr. Dominquez faces
federal charges for possession of child pornography.
Colorado Springs Police Department
Detectives from the Colorado Springs Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit concluded a 6 month investigation, which resulted in the arrest of a 27 year old male, Nicholas Sheremeta (DOB: 03-30-78), from Lone Tree, Colorado. Mr. Sheremeta, an engineer employed by a consulting firm in the Denver Metro area, had made arrangements on the internet to meet and have sexual contact with 3 juvenile females in Colorado Springs. Mr. Sheremeta was taken into custody in Colorado Springs, and charged with 3 counts of Enticement of a Child, 6 counts of Promotion of Obscenity to Minors, and 3 counts of Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child. He was jailed on a $50,000.00 bond. Mr. Sheremeta had KY brand lubricating gel and condoms in his pants pockets at the time of his arrest. Sheremeta was chatting from both a home computer and a work computer.
Westminster Police Department
A.C.
Stutson of Westminster PD arrested a 59 year old Westminster man,
John Rossi (DOB: 11-09-46) for 14 counts of child pornography
distribution and multiple counts of possession of child pornography.
Mr. Rossi was distributing child pornography through his AOL email
account,
jack011802@aol.com .
The case was originally reported to the
Cybertipline in Cybertip #267723. The tip was originally received by
the Connecticut State Police, who after doing follow-up, referred the
case to the Colorado ICAC Task Force. Great job A.C. and Connecticut
State Police!!
Westminster Police Department
On
February 7, 2006 Westminster Police Detectives arrested Bradley Scott
Shilling (DOB: 04-14-83) for sending a detective, posing as a
13-year old girl, nude pictures of himself over the internet. The
contact between Shilling and the "13-year old girl" began on November 9,
2005 when Shilling initiated contact with the girl in a chat room.
Within three minutes Shilling was making sexually explicit statements
while talking about pictures and sex. Schilling sent his first picture
twenty minutes into the conversation. Over the course of two chat room
contacts Shilling sent a total of thirty three pictures, fifteen of
which were sexually explicit. Shilling was using Yahoo and had posted a
profile of himself on Yahoo.com as a 21-year old single male student.
Shilling is currently a student at Colorado State University, studying
biochemistry. Shilling was booked at the Westminster Police Department
and released pending the following charges of Wholesale Promotion of
Obscenity to a Minor (18-7-102(1.5)(B)){2 counts}
There is an ongoing investigation as Shilling has possibly been linked to other similar incidents along the Front Range. This is the 5th arrest of 2006 by the Colorado Internet Crimes Task Force and the second by Westminster Police.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office made arrests number 6 & 7; that information was not released due to ongoing investigations.
Colorado Springs Police Department
Detectives
from the Colorado Springs Police Department's Internet Crimes Against
Children Unit concluded an internet investigation on 02-10-06, which
resulted in the arrest of a 46 year old male, Louis Aragon
(DOB: 09-23-59) from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mr. Aragon had made
arrangements on the internet to meet and have sexual contact with a real
14 year old Colorado Springs female. Prior to arranging to meet for
sexual contact, Mr. Aragon sent two pairs of panties, one bra, some
cigarettes, and a condom in the mail. Detective Blackwell assumed the
girl's online profile and began chatting with Mr. Aragon in December
2005. Mr. Aragon was taken into custody at a pre-arranged location and
charged with Enticement of a Child, Contributing to the Delinquency of a
Minor, and Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child.
Immigration & Customs Enforcement/Pueblo County Sheriff's Office
On
Tuesday, Feb. 28th, Preston Martinez, 25, of 2305 W. 19th
in Pueblo was arrested by Det. Scott Grinstead and Cmdr. Dave Pettinari
of the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children
Unit. Mr. Martinez faces charges of multiple counts of promotion of
obscenity to a minor and sexual exploitation of a child. The arrest
culminated a several-week investigation involving Martinez sending
sexually explicit photos of himself over the Internet from Code Blue
Gaming, a Pueblo West Internet cafe, to girls in the 7th, 8th
and 9th grades. Code Blue is a place where people can rent
computer time to play games or for Internet access. It was the operator
of the business who reported to the sheriff's office that he noticed Mr.
Martinez acting suspiciously when he visited the establishment. Mr.
Martinez, a former Iraqi War veteran, was discharged from the military
in February 2005.
Fremont County SO
Detective
Steve Sanger with the Fremont County Sheriff's Office was contacted by a
landlord, who stated he found child pornography in a residence he was
cleaning, after the renter had moved out. The renter was identified as
Paul Edward Buck Jr., 40 years of age. Mr. Buck was located
living in a motel room in Canon City, Colorado, where a search warrant
was executed. During the search of the motel room, numerous items were
found connected with child pornography. Mr. Buck
said
that all of the photos and items found in his former residence and the
motel room were his. Mr. Buck said that investigators would find
numerous other child pornography photos on the hard drive and compact
disks found in the motel room. Mr. Buck is an over-the-road truck
driver, so he may be involved in other child sexual assault and
exploitation cases. Mr. Paul Edward Buck Jr. was arrested on March 8th,
2006 for Sexual Exploitation of Children. Mr. Buck was using the name
of "truewolph" and has a MSN e-mail address of
truewolph@msn.com . Contact Detective Sanger
if you have any further information about Mr. Buck or a case in which he
could be a suspect, or if you have a case involving his user names, at
(719) 276-5515.
Douglas County/ICE/USPS (no pic)
Investigator Lori Wesolowski of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office worked with Special Agents from ICE and the US Postal Inspectors to arrest Michael Haswell, (DOB: 05-26-50) for distributing child pornography and Criminal Attempt, sexual assault on a child. Mr. Haswell is a Douglas County resident and was arrested at his home on February 16th, 2006.
Denver Police Department (no pic)
The suspect, Donald C B Greene (DOB: 02/25/78) brought his laptop computer into a Denver electronics store for repair. Store personnel determined it was not economically feasible to repair the computer, at which point Mr. Greene was given store credit under a previously purchased service agreement, and opted to purchase a new desktop system. Mr. Greene requested store personnel copy all of the data from his old laptop computer to compact disks, which he was going to pick-up the next day. While transferring the information from the laptop computer, one folder was found to contain over 10 gigabytes of data (too large for one DVD). When store personnel opened the folder, to determine how to divide the information, suspected child pornography was observed. The police were called, and after a forensic examination and investigation, Mr. Greene was charged with 10 counts of CRS 18-6-403(3) (b.5) Sexual Exploitation of Children.
Colorado Springs Police Department
The Colorado Springs Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit concluded a month long internet crimes investigation with the arrest of a 49 year old male from Dayton, Texas, Joseph Vaugn. Mr. Vaugn was arrested for distributing and possessing child pornography images. Mr. Vaugn was arrested on 03/16/06 by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from the Beaumont Texas and Houston Texas areas. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) linked Mr. Vaugn to a newly discovered child pornography series. Investigators are still investigating the possibility that Mr. Vaugn participated in the production of some of the distributed child pornography images. Mr. Vaugn is being held in Texas on federal distribution and possession of child pornography charges.
Colorado Springs Police Department
The Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested Mr. Julius Ray Lehosky, DOB 09/08/77, on 03/19/06. Mr. Lehosky was a resident of Colorado Springs when the investigation was initiated, however has since moved to Bellevue, Nebraska. Mr. Lehosky was downloading and sharing child pornography video files using his Limewire file sharing software. Mr. Lehosky admitted to using other file sharing networks to download files in the past, to include I-Mesh, Kazaa and Bearshare. Some of the videos Mr. Lehosky downloaded and shared depicted the sexual assaults of children as young as 3-5 years of age. Forensics and an internview confirmed that Mr. Lehosky had downloaded child pornography and shared it with others on the Internet. Ten other investigators from around the country also documented Mr. Lehosky's computer offering or being in possession of child pornography files. Mr. Lehosky turned himself in and was arrested on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children.
Colorado Springs Police Department
On
03/20/06, the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
completed an investigation into the distribution of child pornography by
a local business owner. Mr. John Manots, DOb 08/07/52, turned himself
in to the Colorado Springs Police on charges of Sexual Exploitation of a
Child. Mr. Mantos was charged with distributing and possessing child
pornography. Mr. Mantos came under investigation when employees of his
business reported to police that they had found images of child
pornography on Mr. Mantos' work computer. Forensice examination
confirmed that the computer contained and shared child pornography and
the Mr. Mantos attempted to delete these files while members of the task
force were in his office.
Colorado Springs Police Department
On 03/11/06 the Colorado Springs Police Department began a Sexual
Assault on a Child investigation. The investigation revealed that the
suspect, Paul Skillman (DOB: 11-10-67), of Colorado
Springs, had sexually assaulted a seven year old female. The sexual
abuse was ongoing for approximately 2 years, occurring every two or
three weeks. The investigation also revealed that Mr. Skillman had
sexually explicit images of children on his computer. The sexually
explicit images found on the computer included pictures of the female
victim, who is currently 9 years of age. An arrest warrant was issued
for Mr. Skillman on 03/27/06, for the charges of 2nd Degree Kidnapping,
Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust, and Sexual
Exploitation of Children, with a $100,000.00 bond. Mr. Skillman turned
himself in at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center on 03/28/06.
Mr. Skillman served in the United States Air Force and is currently
employed as a civilian contractor, specializing in computer programming,
at Schriever AFB.
Colorado Springs Police Department
Detectives
from the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC)
concluded a 9 month investigation with the arrest of a 27 year old
Alamosa male on 04/05/06. The Colorado Springs Police Department was
contacted by the Pennsylvania ICAC Task Force concerning the male
suspect sending a sexually explicit picture to a 15 year old female in
Pennsylvania. The male persuaded the female victim to email the male
sexually explicit pictures of the victim. During the investigation, the
male was discovered to be a Police Officer employed by the Alamosa
Police Department. The male, Brian Desizlets, turned himself
into Alamosa Police Department authorities on 04/05/06 on an arrest
warrant for the felony charges of Sexual Exploitation of a Child,
Unlawful Sexual Contact, and Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor. The
case will be prosecuted by the 12th Judicial District Attorney's
Office.
Colorado Springs Police Department
Detective
from the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC)
concluded a month long internet investigation with the arrest of a 45
year old Colorado Springs man, Timothy Whalen. Mr. Whalen
developed an online relationship with a 14 year old Colorado Springs
female. Mr. Whalen purchased several gifts fro the victim and took her
on several outings. The relationship ultimately resulted in sexual
contact between Mr. Whalen and the juvenile female. Police were
notified of the relationship after the victim's father observed emails
containing sexually explicit conversation.
Mr. Whalen was arrested at his home on an arrest warrant for the charges of Sexual Assault on a Child and Enticement of a Child.
Colorado Springs Police Department/Federal Bureau of Investigation
Detectives
from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force concluded a 6 month
child pornography distribution investigation with the arrest of a 42
year old Colorado Springs man who was already a registered sex offender.
Darrell Eric Patterson was arrested for downloading and
distributing child pornography images on his computer. The CSPD
Internet Crimes Against Children Unit was contacted by members of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concerning a computer in Colorado
Springs that had been downloading and distributing child pornography
images. The FBI began their investigation in February 2005, when some
of the shared images were discovered by an FBI agent in New Orleans,
LA. The FBI executed a search warrant on an apartment in Colorado
Springs, and a computer and computer media items were recovered from the
apartment. Further investigation revealed that the computer was owned
by a registered Sex Offender, Darrell Patterson. The computer forensic
examination performed on the computer and computer media items revealed
numerous child pornography images. in an interview, Mr. Patterson
admitted to downloading the sexually explicit images of children using
LimeWire file-sharing software. Federal authorities turned the
investigation over to the Colorado Springs Police Department in October
of 2005 when the United States Attorney declined prosecution. Mr.
Patterson was arrested near his home on an arrest warrant for multiple
felony and misdemeanor charges of Sexual Exploitation of Children.
Mr. Patterson was convicted of Indecent Exposure to a child less than 15
years of age in El Paso County, in February 1997.
Fountain Police Department
On
April 4th, 2006 The Fountain Police Department began a sexual assault on
a child investigation. The investigation revealed that the suspect,
Cameron Lee Eimer, a 30 year old Colorado man was engaging in
internet/cyber and eventually a physical relationship with a 14 year old
Fountain Fort Carson High School student. Mr. Eimer is a business
partner and instructor at the Fountain Valley Martial Arts School in
Fountain. In this capacity he served as the victim's Karate
instructor. Mr. Eimer and the victim had been in contact via MSN
Instant Messenger and discussed sex and meeting for sexual contact.
During these conversations, Mr. Eimer sent the victim links to a
pornographic website which sold bondage and sex apparatuses. The
victim's mother could not find located the victim and turned to her
email causing her to discover the relationship. During a subsequent
interview the victim told investigators that she engaged in sexual
intercourse with Mr. Eimer. On 04/06/06,
Mr. Eimer was arrested and charged with Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust, Sexual Assault on a Child and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
Colorado Springs Police Department
Detectives
from the Colorado Springs Police Department's Internet Crimes Against
Children (ICAC) Unit arrested a 19 year old male from Peyton, Colorado
for distributing files containing child pornography. In October 2005,
CSPD detectives were contacted by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office
in regards to a computer in the Colorado Springs area distributing child
pornography to computers in Sacramento, California. The Internet Crimes
Against Children Unit investigated the complaint and executed a search
warrant at a home in Peyton, Colorado. The investigation, to include the
forensic examination of a computer recovered from the home, revealed
that the male, Garrett Scott Coon, had distributed child pornography
videos from his home in Peyton, Colorado. Mr. Coon was cooperative with
the investigation and turned himself in to authorities on 04/17/06.
Parents are encouraged to take an active role in monitoring their child's internet usage and become educated about the internet.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
On Saturday
April 22, 2006 Douglas County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of
Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Postal Inspectors, arrested
Tyler Beckstrom a 22 year old male who traveled from Texas to meet a 13
year old girl for sex. Beckstrom is being held on a $150,000 bond.
Beckstrom had with him not only the name and phone number of this girl,
but the names and phone numbers of an additional four girls.
Investigation revealed that Mr. Beckstrom travels to Colorado to meet
girls whenever he has a three day weekend. Follow up investigation is
continuing to identify other possible victims. Authorities in Texas are
preparing to file luring charges on Mr. Beckstrom in Texas as well. Mr.
Beckstrom was arrested for Enticement of a Childe and Attempted Sexual
Assault on a Child.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
On Tuesday, April 25, 2006, The
Douglas county Sheriff's Office arrested Cory Link a 27 year old Aurora
man for Enticement of a Child and Criminal Attempt Sex Assault on a
Child. Link contacted the profile of a 13 year old girl. Within
minutes of this contact, he asked to meet her and engage in sex. The
meeting was postponed until Tuesday. Link took a bus from Aurora to
Douglas County to meet the girl. Mr. Link was arrested upon arrival.
Mr. Link spoke with investigators and admitted to his actions. Mr. Link
is currently being held on $50,000 bond. During follow up
investigation, it was discovered that Mr. Link was previously convicted
of Sexual Assault on a Child while a juvenile.
Fremont County Sheriff's Office
On
Thursday, April 27th, Fremont County Sheriff's Office Detective Sanger
completed a three month investigation concerning Phillip Alan Urban of
Pueblo. Mr. Urban was arrested for Promotion of Obscenities to a
Minor. Mr. Urban used a chat program to make arrangements to meet with
a 13 year old girl for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse.
Mr. Urban did not meet the girl but did send her a video clip titled "12
yr old being taught by daddy." This clip was adult pornography, however
was sent to a 13 year old girl via the Internet. Mr. Urban admitted to
having sent the video clip and having made arrangements to meet the 13
year old girl. Pueblo County Sheriff's Office assisted with the arrest,
and will assist with the follow up investigation.
Boulder County Sheriff's Office
The
Boulder County Sheriff's Office arrested Mark Baertschy, DOB 06/19/70
for Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust. Mr.
Baertschy sexually assaulted a child that he was mentoring through a
community program. Mr. Baertschy was a mentor from the Partners Program
(similar to Big Brothers/Sisters program), based out of Longmont. Mr.
Baertschy is also a Physics professor employed at CU Denver. Forensic
examinations were conducted on Mr. Baertschy's computers, and thus far,
approximately 6000 images of child pornography have been found on the
computers. This arrest was made on March 31, 2006 and in reality would
have been the 17th arrest of the year for the Colorado ICAC, however due
to a reporting glitch, the information was not obtain earlier and
thereby making this the 25th arrest of the year.
Weld County Sheriff's Office/Ft. Collins Police Dept. (picture not yet available)
On 11/08/05, The Colorado Springs Police Department received two Cybertip reports from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, (NCMEC). These tips concerned a party using the name tacorod420 on America Online distributing Child Pornography. Investigation revealed the user to be located in Greeley, Colorado. The Ft. Collins Police Department was forwarded the information for follow up. Ft. Collins Police Department worked in conjunction with Weld County Sheriff's Office to make the arrest. Weld County Sheriff's Office determined the suspect to be Norman James Bent Brigham, DOB 01/10/85, from Evans, Colorado. Mr. Brigham was charged with 6 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child.
Pueblo Police Department
In March of 2006, James jenkins a professional photographer and computer
consultant began communicating with a 14 year old Pueblo girl via the
internet. Mr. Jenkins wanted to the 14 year old girl to engage in
deviant sexual acts with him. He was arrested on May 16, 2006. The
Pueblo County Sheriff's Office assisted with the take down of a wireless
network and 10 computers and hard drives controlled by Mr. Jenkins.
Pueblo County Sheriff's Office
Rodney
W. Cady (DOB: 10/20/66)
was arrested for seeking sex with a teenage girl, who actually was an
online persona contrived by Detective Scott Grinstead. Mr. Cady
allegedly expressed interest in engaging in acts of bondage with the
girl, who he believed was a freshman in high school. Mr. Cady is
employed as a
medical sales rep. Mr. Cady started chatting with
Scott Grinstead on May 8, 2006 and was arrested on May 16, 2006. The
Pueblo County Sheriff's Office seized 1 computer, a cell phone, and a
PDA from Mr. Cady. A crack pipe was found in Mr. Cady's vehicle, after
executing a search warrant. Mr. Cady was charged with Attempted Sex
Assault on a Child and Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor.
Pueblo County Sheriff's Office / Pueblo Police Department
Stephen
Ross Herrington (DOB: 02/24/61)
wanted to use
sex toys on a 14-year-old girl. Mr. Herrington was arrested on May 18,
2006. Investigators became aware of his alleged fantasies during a
three-month span, during which he contacted detectives from both the
Pueblo County Sheriff's Department and the Pueblo Police Department.
Detectives said Mr. Herrington used seven online personalities to chat
with teens. During some of his chats with
the Detectives, Mr. Herrington sent web cam video of himself
masturbating. One of the profiles used by Mr. Herrington was a female,
a lesbian looking for young girls. Four computers were seized from Mr.
Herrington and lots of paperwork with Yahoo usernames and phone
numbers. Mr. Herrington was charged with Promotion of Obscenity to a
Minor (Pueblo County), Attempted Sex Assault on Child, and Promotion of
Obscenity to a Minor (Pueblo Police Department) Investigators are
working with the DA's Office to raise the Obscenity to Wholesale
Promotion.
Westminster Police Department
On
05/24/06, the Westminster Police Department arrested Burt "Nick"
Richardson (DOB: 05/03/80), for Enticement and Attempted Sexual
Assault on a Child. Mr. Richardson was engaging in conversations with
Westminster detectives believing that he was speaking with a 13 year old
girl. Mr. Richardson rode a bus from Denver to Westminster to meet with
"the victim". Mr. Richardson's plan was to take the 13 year old girl
back to his place on the bus to have sexual intercourse. Mr. Richardson
was chatting with Westminster detectives from the Gay and Lesbian Center
in downtown Denver.
Colorado Springs Police Department/Lakewood Police Department
On 05/26/06, the Colorado Springs Police Department in conjunction with
the Lakewood Police Department arrested Joe Bill Woods III, DOB 09/22/79
for Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor. Mr. Woods had been communicating
online with a 13/14 year old girl and had sent images of his erect penis
to the girl. Mr. Woods had very distinguishing characteristics in this
image to include his face and body piercings being visible.
Investigation is continuing and it has been determined that Mr. Woods
spoke with and sent an image to at least one additional underage girl in
the Douglas County area. Lakewood Police Department assisted with he
execution of a warrant at Mr. Woods residence in Lakewood Colorado.
This investigation has been ongoing for approximately one year. Mr.
Woods turned himself into the Colorado Springs Police Department on
05/26/06 when he was charged.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office / Colorado Springs Police / ICE
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office High Tech Crimes Unit, the Colorado
Springs Police Department and the Immigration & Customs Enforcement
Agency, conducted a joint operation resulting the arrest of another
internet predator. A Colorado Springs man was been arrested in
connection with attempted sexual assault on someone he met online whom
he believed was a 12-year-old girl, authorities said Monday. Mario
Saldana Herrera, 47, was being held on $100,000 bail in Douglas
County, where he traveled to meet a girl who turned out to be an
undercover police officer. Herrera was arrested Friday on suspicion of
attempted sexual assault on a child, enticing a child and seven counts
of sexual exploitation of a child. Herrera allegedly sent more than 100
sexual photographs, to include some child pornography images, to the
undercover officer. Investigators are looking for anyone who had
similar online contact with Herrera, who used the yahoo screen name
"elmario2020".
Mr. Herrera was arrested on additional charges in connection with his online contact with another underage girl in Colorado Springs on 06/27/06. Mr. Herrera was held on $150,000 bond at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center for five felony counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child and 86 felony counts of Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor. Mr. Herrera planned to meet the girl for sexual contact, but was apprehended prior to the meeting. Mr. Herrera was sending pornography images from Afghanistan, where he was employed as a civilian contractor with the Department of Defense. Mr. Herrera was arrested shortly after he returned to the United States.
People can call the Douglas County Sheriff's Office tip line at 1-303-660-7579 or the Colorado ICAC information line at 719-444-7532 if they have had any online contact with Mr. Herrera and wish to report it. Mr. Herrera is the 32nd arrest of 2006 for the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the 6th involving Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
The Douglas County
High Tech Crimes Unit conducted an Undercover ICAC operation and
arrested 46 year old Mark Asimus. Mr. Asimus had contacted
Investigator Cronce's undercover profile of a 14-year-old girl on the
computer and stated that he would pay her $100 if he could watch her
beat up her friend. He wanted her to bloody her friend's nose and would
also like her to break her nose as well. Mr. Asimus stated that the
bloodier the fight the better. A meet was scheduled at Lynx Park in
Lone Tree, Colorado, at 1300 hours on 06-13-06. Mr. Asimus made contact
with undercover investigators and was taken into custody without
incident, the $100 in cash was confiscated. During the interview, Mr.
Asimus stated that he was a teacher for West High School in Denver. Mr.
Asimus admitted that he was at the park for the purpose of watching two
14 year olds fight, and he likes to visit "catfight" websites.
Mr. Asimus was booked into DCSO jail with a $25,000 bond for Criminal Solicitation, Assault in 2nd degree, and Contributing to a Delinquency of a Minor.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
On 06-30-06, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office arrested
Mike Edmonds,
for Enticement of a Child and Criminal Attempt, Sexual Assault on a
Child. Mr. Edmonds contacted the screen name of a 13-year-old female
and engaged in instant message conversations with the girl, but most of
the sexual statements were made during numerous telephone conversations.
Mr. Edmonds arranged to meet the girl for sexual intercourse and was
subsequently arrested. Follow up investigation by the Douglas County
Sheriff's Office is continuing.
Colorado Springs Police Department
In 2005, Detective of the Colorado ICAC were contacted by Riverside
County Sheriff's Office and asked to assist with a case in which a
suspect lived in Colorado Springs, but committed sexual assault on a
child and produced child pornography in California. Detectives executed
a search warrant on the home of Michael Paul Hersey as well as locating
a local victim in Colorado Springs in April of 2006. Mr. Hersey was
arrested based on the new information and extradited to California to
face charges for sexual assault on a child and production of child
pornography. Mr. Hersey pled guilty to all charges in October of 2006
and will be sentenced in January of 2007. Mr. Hersey's conviction will
be his third violent felony conviction in the State of California and is
facing a possible sentence of life in prison.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
On
July 5th, 2006, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office arrested
Richard Hobart (DOB:
07-25-73)
for two counts of Internet Luring of a Child. Arrangements were made
for Mr. Hobart to meet a 12 year old female at a local McDonalds
Restaurant.
A search of Mr. Hobart's home revealed Mr. Hobart and his twin brother have had numerous interactions with children. Videos were found in which Mr. Hobart was filmed wrestling with what appeared to be a 7 year old girl. Mr. Hobart was observed holding the girl down, while Mr. Hobart's brother was filming under the girl's clothing, zooming in on the girl's underwear.
Investigation is continuing by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
The
Douglas County Sheriff's Office arrested a 28 year old Colorado Springs
male, Ira Brown, for
Enticement of a Child and Criminal Attempt, Sexual Assault on a Child.
On 07-05-06, Mr. Brown contacted a 12 year old girl online and eventually asked to drive to Douglas County, to meet the girl. A meeting for the purpose of sex was agreed upon. Mr. Brown showed up at the meet location and was arrested.
Brown admitted to most of the allegations.
Westminster Police Department (A picture is not yet available of Mr. )
On 07/13/06, Westminster Police arrested 29 year old John Holdsworth for Internet Luring of Child. Mr. Holdsworth was using Yahoo! Messenger and arranged to meet with a 14 year old female. Mr. Holdsworth showed up for a meet on 07/10/06, but had not engaged in sexually explicit conversation. After showing up for the meet, Mr. Holdsworth told the Westminster detective that he wanted to perform oral sex on the girl. Mr. Holdsworth asked to meet, a second time, on 07/13/06.
Fort Collins Police Department
On
Monday, July 17th, 2006, Fort Collins police arrested 42
year-old, Jeffrey Bandach for using the Internet to attempt to
lure a 14 year-old Fort Collins female to meet him, without her parents
knowledge or consent. Mr. Bandach was taken into custody Monday morning
while walking to meet an undercover police officer, whom he believed to
be the 14 year-old victim.
On June 7th 2006, the 14 year-old victim and her mother
contacted Fort Collins police to file a complaint about their neighbor,
who was acting inappropriately towards the victim by sending her
multiple e-mail messages and asking her to not tell her mom about their
conversations. Mr. Bandach made arrangements to meet her Monday morning.
Instead of meeting the victim, Bandach met the police detective and was
arrested for: Internet Luring of a Child, class 4 felony, Attempted
Sexual Assault on a Child, class 4 felony, and Enticement of a Child,
class 4 felony.
Mr. Bandach is being charged under the recently enacted House Bill
06-1011 sponsored by Representative Bob McClusky of Fort Collins. The
new law prohibits a person from using a computer network to contact a
child under the age of 15, with the intent to lure the child to meet
that person, without the express consent of the child's parent or
guardian.
Boulder County Sheriff's Office
Boulder County Sheriff's deputies arrested a Superior man and searched his home Thursday afternoon, furthering an Internet crimes investigation initiated by Broward County, Florida, authorities. Arthur Schultz, 55 years of age, of Superior, was arrested by deputies on an outstanding Broward County warrant charging him with five felony counts of "Lewd or Lascivious Exhibitions". Bond was set at $125,000.00. Mr. Schultz offered no resistance and was booked and lodged at the Boulder County Jail.
Detectives from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office assisted the Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in conducting this investigation, which was initiated there.
Boulder County Sheriff's detectives executed a search warrant at Mr. Schultz' home, seizing several items of evidence. Anticipating that there may be other victims in this crime, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office requests that anyone with information to offer contact Detective Jason Oehlkers of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office at (303) 441-4763 or Detective Nicole Rossini of the Broward County, Florida, Sheriff's Office at (954) 888-5240. Due to the ongoing investigation, no picture is being provided at this time.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
Grant
Peterson
a 33 year old Cedaredge resident, sent a live web cam feed to a
12-year-old female. Mr. Peterson continued to display his web cam feed
and masturbated as he engaged in an instant message conversation with
the "12 year old". Mr. Peterson then directed the girl to get naked and
sexually touch herself. He also attempted to get the girls father to
buy her a webcam and have sex with her on the cam.
On 07-25-06, Douglas County Investigators Lori Wesolowski and Lt. Jason Kennedy, drove to Cedaredge, Colorado and arrested Mr. Peterson and executed a search warrant on his residence.
Mr. Peterson was transported to the Douglas County Jail on a $100,000 bond for the following charges: CRIMINAL ATTEMPT SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN (2 COUNTS), CRIMINAL ATTEMPT PROMOTION OF OBSCENITY TO A MINOR (5 COUNTS), CRIMINAL SEXUAL EXPOLITION OF CHILDREN, INTERNET SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A CHILD (2 COUNTS), and CONTRIBUTING TO DELINQUENCY OF A MINOR (2 COUNTS).
Colorado Springs Police Department
On 07/27/06, Mr. John Sims, a 39 year
old was arrested man from Craig, Colorado, was arrested when he
attempted to meet a 12 year old girl for a sexual encounter in Colorado
Springs. Mr. Sims arranged to meet the girl at a predetermined location
in Colorado Springs and drove from Craig on the morning of the 27th to
complete the encounter. Mr. Sims was taken into custody outside this
location without incident.
Mr. Sims was transported to the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center and held on the charges of: Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Enticement of a Child and Internet Luring of a Child.
Canon City Police Department / Fremont County Sheriff's Office
On
08-02-06, a 47 year old male from Englewood, Colorado drove to Canon
City, Colorado to meet a 13 year old female for sexual contact.
Scott Darrell Lippitt was was arrested for Criminal Attempt, Sexual
Assault on a Child, Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Enticement
of a Child, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, and Internet
Luring of a Child. Mr. Lippitt was arrested, without incident, by
detectives and officers from the Canon City Police Department and
detectives from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.
Boulder County Sheriff's Office
On Aug 29, 2006, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office working on a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, arrested Matthew Hileman of Boulder. Mr. Hileman was arrested for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and attempted Internet Sexual Exploitation of a child, both felony crimes. Mr. Hileman created a web page claiming to be a 14 year old and used it to entice 12-14 year olds to send sexually explicit pictures and web camera images in trade.
Jefferson County District Attorney's Office / Colorado Springs Police Department
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office conducted an investigation into
a party making contact with a 13 year old Jefferson County girl. The
suspect sent pornographic images to the girl to demonstrate the acts he
wished to perform when they were to meet for sex. The suspect set a
meeting date for mid September, however once investigators learned the
suspect was employed as a school bus driver in Colorado Springs, they
contacted the Colorado Springs Police Department to assist with
arresting the suspect. On 08/31/06, Mr. Terry Jenks was arrested for
Internet Luring of a Child and Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor.
This was a collaborative effort between the two agencies with assistance from the District 11 Transportation Office. Mr. Jenks is the 46th Internet Crimes arrest of 2006 by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the 16th involving the Colorado Springs Police Department. The Jefferson County District Attorney's office has made 25 arrest in 2006, this is the first which was a joint operation in conjunction the State Task Force. For information regarding Jefferson County District Attorney's Office arrests, please refer to their website located at http://www.co.jefferson.co.us/da/da_T99_R78.htm.
Eagle County Sheriff's Office
On Thursday, September 14th, 2006, the Eagle County Sheriff's Office
(with the assistance of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office) arrested Kyle Wynkoop, a 33 year old Mesa County Man. An arrest warrant charging Mr.
Wynkoop with five counts of felony Internet Sexual Exploitation of a
Child and a search warrant were executed at his home near Grand
Junction, Colorado. Mr. Wynkoop was transported to the Eagle County
Detention Facility where he was being held without bond. During the
subsequent interview, Mr. Wynkoop admitted to possessing child
pornography and chatting with underage girls on the Internet.
Colorado Springs Police Department
Robert Bell,
a 48 year old therapist, was arrested after a two month investigation
involving law enforcement agencies in Colorado and Virginia. Mr. Bell
was sending child pornography over the internet and attempting to
persuade an adult female to sexually assault an eight year old child.
Mr. Bell was found to be in possession of a large quantity of child
pornography by Colorado Springs Police Department ICAC Unit
investigators. Mr.
Bell had made plans to leave the state at the time of his arrest by the
Colorado Springs Police Department.
Mr. Bell has a long history of working as a pastor and therapist in the Colorado Springs and Canon City areas. Additional victims are anticipated to be found. Mr. Bell's laptop computer will be forensically examined by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, and the investigation is continuing at this time.
If you have knowledge concerning Mr. Bell or his crimes, or you were a victim of Mr. Bell's actions please contact Det. Blackwell Immediately at 719-444-7532.
Colorado Springs Police Department (No Image Available)
The 49th arrest of 2006 by the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was also the 18th by the Colorado Springs Police Department. The arrestee was a 16 year old male, and as a juvenile his name and image will not be released. He was involved in pornography to 5 and 6 year old Colorado Springs girls. Additionally he exposed himself and tried to sexually assault one of the two girls. Additionally details can not be made available due to the sensitive nature and age of the parties involved.
Colorado Springs Police Department
Lynn Bodden, a 37 year old Colorado Springs woman was arrested in
relation to the investigation of Timothy Whalen, the 18th arrest of
2006. Further investigation revealled that Bodden, the victim's mother,
sent Whalen sexually explicit images of her daughter to determine if he
was interested in pursuing a relationship with her daughter. Bodden
faces charges of Conspiracy to Commit Sexual Assault on a Child and
Sexual Exploitation of a Child.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
No information available for the 51st arrest.
Westminster Police Department (no image available)
On 09/29/06, the Westminster Police Department arrested David Sawyer, a 34 year old Westminster man, for sexual assault on a 16 year old male. The two met through Myspace.com. A second victim, a 14 year old male was identified during the investigation, whom Mr. Sawyer also met on Myspace.com. Based on information provided by the victim, a search warrant was conducted on Mr. Sawyer's residence for child pornography and a large amount of computer media was seized. Mr. Sawyer may have been recording his sexual assaults of children. The investigation is ongoing due to evidence Mr. Sawyer may have traveled to meet young men and boys for sexual contact.
Westminster Police Department (no image available yet)
On 10/02/06, the Westminster Police Department arrested 30 year old Thomas Barron on charges of Sexual Assault. Mr. Barron met the victim, a 15 year old Broomfield girl on adultfriendfinder.com. Mr. Barron picked up the victim at an elementary school and drove her to a vacant condo owned by Mr. Barron's parents. Mr. Barron admitted that he knew the victim was 15 years old prior to meeting and engaging in sexual contact.
Westminster Police Department
On 10/06/06 the Westminster Police
Department arrested 63 year old Michael J. Matekovic for Internet Luring
of a Child and Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child. Mr. Matekovic
as arrested after he attempted to meet with a 14 year old boy from
Westminster. Investigation revealed that Mr. Matekovic had attempted to
meet the boy previously for the purpose of sexual contact. Mr.
Matekovic also transmitted images of himself nude to the boy.
Jefferson County DA's Office/Ft. Collins Police
On 10/23/06, Investigators from the Jefferson County DA's Office and Detectives from the Fort Collins Police Department arrested David M. Pepin of Fort Collins. Mr. Pepin who was working on his PHD at Colorado State University was arrested for Internet Luring of a Child and Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child.
Additional Task Force Arrests
Information regarding the 56th, 57th, and 58th arrest of 2006 could not be posted. Other arrest may be jeopardized if that information is released at this time. Please come back later in the year for an update.
Colorado Springs Police Department
On 10/24/06, detectives from the Colorado Springs Police
Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit arrested Keith Clay
of Colorado Springs for Sexual Assault on a Child - Position of Trust
and Sexual Exploitation of a Child. Mr. Clay admitted to using
pornography to groom his victims and to collecting child pornography
which he obtained from the internet. Mr. Clay additionally admitted to
purchasing child pornography from the internet.
Canon City Police Department / Denver Parole (no photo available)
On 10/28/06, Canon City Police Detectives arrested Robert Jennings of Denver for Criminal Attempt Sexual Assault on a Child, Conspiracy to Commit Sexual Assault on a Child and Internet Luring. Mr. Jennings is a convicted sex offender who arranged to engage in a sexual relationship with a mother and her 9 year old daughter. The Denver Parole Unit of the Colorado Department of Corrections assisted with the investigation.
Jefferson County District Attorney's Office / Canon City Police Department/ Colorado Springs Police Department
On 11/03/06, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office
Internet Investigations Unit partnered with the Canon City Police
Department to arrest Charles Flint of Aurora. Mr. Flint was 1 of 3
internet arrests on 11/03/06 by the Jefferson County DA's. Mr.
Flint was arrested for Enticement of a Child, Internet Luring of a Child
and Criminal Attempt Sexual Assault on a Child. Mr. Flint arranged
to meet a 14 year old child for sexual contact.
The Colorado Springs Police Department conducted a separate investigation into Mr. Flint. An arrest warrant was issued regarding that case and served on Mr. Flint as well for Internet Luring of a Child, Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor.
Mr. Flint became the 61st arrest of 2006 for the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force under the Jefferson County case and the 64th arrest under the Colorado Springs case.. He was the 21st arrest for Colorado Springs, the 3rd arrest involving Canon City Police and the 3rd for Jefferson County DA's Office working with the Task Force. Jefferson County DA's Office has arrested 37 internet predators in 2006. For information regarding those arrests please go to the Jefferson County DA's Website.
Fort Collins Police Department (picture not yet available)
On November 13, 2006 Fort Collins Police arrested Stacy Kroner for Internet Luring of a child (2 counts) and Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child (2 counts). The investigation began in early October 2006 when Mr. Kroner contacted three child profiles on Yahoo Messenger. During these chats with Mr. Kroner, he talked about his strong desire to have sex with children and even bragged at one point about having sex with a nine year old. Fort Collins Police have not been able to identify the possible nine year old victim. Mr. Kroner was booked into the Jefferson County jail, and his bond was set at $25,000. Detectives from the Fort Collins Police Department and the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office executed a search warrant at Mr. Kroner's home and recovered his computer and a web cam.
Westminster Police Department (picture not yet available)
On 11/16/06, Westminster Police arrested Matt P. White on charges of Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor. Mr. White contacted a 14 year old girl on the internet during the summer of 2006 and had sexually explicit conversations with her. During such conversations, White encouraged the girl to masturbate and played pornography on his computer and showed it on his web camera for the girl to see while she engaged in masturbation. Mr. White did not attempt to meet the girl, simply teaching her over the internet about sexual matters.
The 64th arrest was Mr. Flint above being arrested a second time.
Park County Sheriff's Office
On 11/28/06, acting on a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children, Detective Goto of the Park County Sheriff's
Office arrested Thomas Brown Sr. of Lake George for Sexual Exploitation
of a Child. Mr. Brown was accused of transmitting child pornography on
the Internet via AOL email. A warrant was completed, two computers were
seized and found to contain child pornography on at least one of them.
Mr. Brown was investigated in 2003 for possessing child pornography,
however charges were not filed at that time. Identification of victims
is continuing. If anyone has any information related to this
investigation, please contact Det. Goto of the Park County Sheriff's
Office.
Littleton Police Department / Denver Police Department
On
December 4, 2006, Detectives of the Littleton Police Department were
assisted by Denver Police Department and arrested TODD D. GREGORY,
of Denver, Colorado, on an arrest warrant for the felony charges of
Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor, Internet Sexual Exploitation of a
Child, and Internet Luring of a Child. The investigation began in
August 2005 inside of an internet chat room, with a 14 year old girl.
Mr. Gregory contacted multiple underage profiles, and he engaged in
sexually explicit chat messages while exposing himself via webcam.
Detectives arrested Mr. Gregory without incident at an undisclosed
location in Denver, and he was booked into the Arapahoe County Jail.
Mr. Gregory's bond was set at $50,000. Littleton Detectives worked into
the evening executing a search warrant at Mr. Gregory's Denver
residence.
Westminster Police Department
In October 2006, the Westminster Police Department
received a tip from a 13-year old girl that she was propositioned online
to have sex with an older male. While on the website
www.tagged.com, the girl met a male, "CJay",
who claimed he was 17-years old. After chatting online and talking on
the phone several times, the girl decided to meet "CJay" in person.
When they met, the girl immediately knew "CJay" was much older then
17-years old and promptly left. The girl then notified the police
department.
Undercover detectives, posing as a 13-year old female, made contact online with "CJay", which led to phone calls and him requesting to meet. He wanted to meet to have sex and said he would bring alcohol with him. On December 8, 2006 undercover detectives agreed to meet him in an undisclosed location in Westminster. "CJay" showed up with alcoholic beverages and met a group of undercover police officers instead of a 13-year old girl. "CJay" was arrested and his identity was confirmed as Curtis Jay Whiting, who is 30 years of age. Mr. Whiting was booked on the following charges; Sex Assault on Child, Internet Luring of a Child, Enticement of a Child, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, Criminal Attempt to Commit Class 4 Felony.
Federal Bureau of Investigation / Colorado Springs Police Department
In
November of 2006, members of the Colorado Springs Police Department ICAC
Task Force assisted the Colorado Springs office of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in executing a search warrant at the residence of a 67
year old Colorado Springs man who was distributing child pornography on
the Internet. Computers, printed images and nearly 25 hard drives were
recovered from the residence and taken for examination. On December 12,
2006, members of the FBI's Colorado Springs office took Edward
Bochnia into custody. Mr. Bochnia faces federal charges for the
possession and distribution of child pornography.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office (no photo juvenile)
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office was contacted by the Seattle Police Department concerning a computer in Douglas County, Colorado that was downloading and distributing child pornography files. ICE agents were also contacted by the Wyoming ICAC Task Force about the same computer, so ICE agents and Douglas County Sheriff's Office investigators worked together to identify the offender. A search warrant was executed at the home, and a then 15 year old boy was identified as the person responsible for downloading and distributing the child pornography files. The boy admitted to distributing and possessing the child pornography files during an interview with investigators. The boy had been actively distributing and downloading child pornography files using Lime Wire software since May 2006. The case was submitted to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office for review. On December 17th, 2006, investigators from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office learned that the 16 year old male was charged with 370 counts of felony Sexual Exploitation of Children (Distribution). The male's photo, name and date of birth will not be released because he is a juvenile.
Saguache County Sheriff's Department
The
Colorado ICAC received two Cybertips from the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children regarding a Saguache County resident
distributing child pornography files on the internet. In December of
2006 the Saguache County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at
the suspects residence. A computer, storage media containing suspected
child pornography files, and over a half pound of marijuana were seized
from the home during the execution of the search warrant. On December
21st, 2006 Saguache County Sheriff's Office investigators arrested
Ricky Newman a 46 year old Saguache County resident for two counts
of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, (one count for distribution and one
for possession of sexually exploitative material containing children)
and one felony count of Possession of 8 or more Ounces of Marijuana.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
In 2004, a male using Yahoo
messaging contacted a Douglas County juvenile female. The male was
serving a tour in Iraq in the United States Army. The male asked to
meet the girl for sexual contact when he returned to Colorado. The male
continued to talk to the underage persona over the next two years. In
June 2006, while he was stationed at Fort Hood Army base in Texas, the
male, identified as Adam Randall Wilde (DOB:
08-15-83), asked to
meet the girl again when he came to Colorado. A date to meet was set,
but on the date of the meeting Mr. Wilde claimed that he had car
problems, and the meet never occurred. From July to December 2006, Mr.
Wilde contacted the underage girl, requesting sexually explicit pictures
of her. Mr. Wilde also asked the female to touch herself in a sexual
manner. Mr. Wilde was deployed back to Iraq before a warrant for his
arrest was issued. Douglas County investigators completed an arrest
warrant for Mr. Wilde and contacted U.S. Army officials about Mr. Wilde.
On December 22nd, 2006, the Army began making plans to have
Mr. Wilde sent back to the United States for the outstanding charges.
