MI- 27 arrested in child sex internet sting

3-13-2008 Michigan: (Phase-I)

More than two-dozen suspects were arrested in Van Buren Township this weekend as a result of an Internet child predator sting by township police and Wayne County sheriffs.

The operation that was about six months in the making ended with 27 arrests from Michigan and one from New Jersey. The men—including one physician—ranged from 19 to 57 years old and used various modes of transportation to arrive at the staged house in Van Buren Township where they thought they were meeting underage youths for sex, according to officials.

Police said four individuals arrived in a taxi cab, one was dropped off by his sister, one rode a bike from Ypsilanti in 15 degree weather and, one person drove to the decoy home on a flat tire that was shredded by the time he arrived.

“He told the officers where he was going and proceeded to drive on his flat tire. He was riding on the rims,” said Capt. Greg Laurain of the Van Buren Township Public Safety Department. “It just goes to show how persistent some of these predators can be.”


From about 1 p.m. last Friday till about 9 p.m. on Sunday, undercover agents communicated on the Internet posing as children offering information as to their location. Predators from Van Buren Township, Belleville, Monroe, Farmington and Trenton—along with others—arrived at the decoy home and were arrested.

“We wanted the operation to be covert. We didn’t want any unnecessary sensationalism,” said Laurain. “Their (predators) first reaction was denial, saying they’re not there for sex, but they’re there to just talk to the girl or boy,” he added. “We wanted to send a strong message to the community that this isn’t the kind of place to come and do this and if you do, you’re going to get busted.”

“This successful operation resulted in the arrest of several predators from our local area and surrounding communities,” said Jerry Champagne, director of the Van Buren Public Safety Department. “This proactive sting operation was conducted to identify predators willing to travel to our area and warn others that they will be arrested if they prey on our children for sex.”

Along with the help of Perverted Justice, a volunteer video-audio surveillance company, phase two of the sting will be an additional round of arrests for those individuals who transmitted sexually explicit material online to agents posing as minors, but didn’t travel to the decoy location. It’s expected to bring the total number of arrests to more than 50, police said.

“Even with the level of attention that these kinds of stings attract, the fact that so many men are still lining up to meet children for sex over the Internet should send shock waves through the home of any parent,” said Warren Evans, Wayne County Sheriff. “As many predators as we have caught and convicted, it only scratches the surface of what’s out there. Parents must take an active role in monitoring what their kids are doing online to keep them from putting themselves at risk.”

All suspects were arraigned at the 34th District Court in Romulus and were given $50,000 cash bonds each, according to police.

“Law enforcement has a clear choice in dealing with the danger of Internet predators—either react after a child has been subjected to an assault or be proactive and intervene before they can harm a child. For us, this is an easy choice,” said Attorney General Mike Cox.

“I also want to single out the Wayne County Sheriffs Office and the Van Buren Township Police for their work and professionalism,” he added. “They did an outstanding job.” ..News Source.. by Andrea King, Staff Writer