Police: 18 Men Busted for Online Child Sex Crimes
Authorities in Worcester County announced Thursday that they’ve spent the last year catching would-be sexual predators by pretending to be vulnerable teenagers over the Internet.
The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office said Operation Worcester Safety Net culminated in charging 18 alleged sexual predators, many of whom showed up in Worcester County for the sole purpose of engaging in sexual contact with minors. Other suspects were found to have computers filled with videos and images of child pornography, or were participating in peer-to-peer sharing and downloading of such material.
“What we found was a terrible presence online, for people who were willing to prey upon our children,” said Lt. Mike McDermott. “Fortunately, they were preying on somebody that was not a child. They were trying to prey on a police officer posing as a child. The idea is to catch those that are willing to do that. But none of these guys, it was their first time, and I think that’s terrifying for all of us.”