BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — On Monday, the Bakersfield Police Department announced the arrest of six men as part of an online sex sting involving the solicitation of juveniles for sex.
According to the BPD, undercover detectives posed as juveniles online and were contacted by several men. Those men began engaging in "inappropriate communication" with the undercover detectives and requested to meet the "juveniles" for the purpose of sex. Detectives arranged to meet the men, who were then arrested for unlawful communication with a minor, and solicitation of a minor for sex.
The six men arrested were:
- William Mullen, 33
- Francisco Ceja, 29
- Leonel Contreras 28
- Dominique Walker, 33
- Devon Armstrong, 25
- Juan Sandoval, 29
During the two-day operation, authorities also arrested 18 other individuals on a variety of other charges including sex registration violations, parole violations, probation violations, weapons charges, narcotics, burglary, and several warrants.
In addition to the Bakersfield Police Department, other agencies involved included California State Parole, Kern County Probation, U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, McFarland Police Department, Delano Police Department, and California City Police Department.
In a statement, the BPD encourages "parents to communicate with their children about the potential dangers when navigating social media, and to be vigilant in monitoring who they may be communicating with. If you would like to schedule a free internet safety presentation for your community group, please contact the Bakersfield Police Department’s Community Relations Unit at (661) 326-3053."
