Rescue Operation: 25 Children Saved, 27 Men Arrested

Last week, 27 suspects were arrested during “Operation Moving Target.” The Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force led the 4 day operation. The Office of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor said, "The purpose of the operation was to identify and arrest individuals interested in engaging in sexual activity with whom they believed to be minor children."The County Prosecutor, Michael C. O’Malley, went on to say, “As we have seen the number of Cybertips dramatically increase this year, it is clear that online predators remain a serious threat to our children.”As for the conduct of the sting, undercover officers posed as children on popular social media apps. The statement went on to say, "The defendants expressed an interest in engaging in sexual activity with the purported children and/or disseminated images of their genitals during these online conversations."Consequently, the defendants were expecting to meet minors at a predetermined vacant house. What they met instead were the police. Those arrested were taken to the Cuyahoga County Jail. Law enforcement state that, "Several defendants were in possession of firearms, condoms, personal lubricant, sex toys, and drugs."The charges include: Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Disseminating Matter Harmful to Juveniles, Importuning, and Possessing Criminal Tools.

The arrested individuals include:

• Adam Davis, 41, Painesville, OH
• Rajwant Singh, 44, Mayfield Heights, OH
• Germaine Truett, 38, Cleveland, OH
• Jason Johnson, 37, Cleveland, OH
• Ronel Washington, 24, Garfield Heights, OH
• Hector Pietri, 29, Cleveland, OH
• Kyle Vansteenburg, 28, Cleveland, OH
• Raphael Robinson, 26, Cleveland, OH
• Corey Huber, 32, Elyria, OH
• Michael Labondano, 30, Lyndhurst, OH
• Nicholas Cook, 38, Bedford Heights, OH
• Chazz Johnson-Hawks, 22, Solon, OH
• Ian Rensel, 43, Bedford, OH
• Jerry Harris, 35, Westlake, OH
• Carson Strnisa, 21, Seven Hills, OH
• Justin Cowger, 22, Cleveland, OH
• Kim Koran, 61, Cleveland, OH
• Nathan Troup, 39, New Castle, PA (Registered Sex Offender in the State of Pennsylvania)
• Abed Aldur, 45, Parma, OH
• Arturo Martinez, 47, University Heights, OH
• Phillip Jones, 30, Streetsboro, OH
• Keith Kozak, 41, Brooklyn, OH
• Pedro Correa Jr., 42, Cleveland, OH
• Ryan Dempsey, 37, Ashtabula, OH
• Johnathan Smith, 34, Cleveland, OH
• Robert Spisak, 45, Broadview Heights, OH
• Jason Schmucker, 37, Canton, OH

Children rescued in Operation Safety Net

Unfortunately, this is only a small step forward. Local news sources report that "200 children are missing right now in Northeast Ohio." Also, that many more similar endeavorers are still underway. For example, the U.S. Marshals are currently leading Operation Safety Net. This task force is made up of around 350 personal. In addition to the information made public, U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott remarked, “These are kids that have been abused, neglected. Some involved in human trafficking." Furthermore, that 1 in 4 of the children found had been victims of prostitution or human trafficking.[caption id="attachment_22848" align="alignnone" width="300"]

Operation Safety Net (U.S. Marshals)[/caption]As a result of Operation Safety Net, 25 missing children have been recovered, but the sting is ongoing. Moreover, U.S. Marshals rescued 39 children from Georgia last week. Marshals say that after the success of this task force, they will do similar operations more often. Likewise, they encourage the public to be vigilant to the many dangers their loved ones may face. Also, please give any useful information to the U.S. Marshals tip line at 1-866-492-6833.