Five men from Kansas, Missouri, and Mississippi have been arrested following a two-day undercover operation in Cherokee County, Missouri, targeting people who allegedly solicit minors for sex, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
The men were arrested after an undercover operation conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, February 5 and 6, by various agencies in partnership with the sheriff’s office. The cases have been forwarded to the Cherokee County Attorney’s Office for prosecution, according to a media release by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the sheriff’s office, the suspects have various allegations ranging from the commercial sex exploitation of a child, unlawful use of a communication facility, aggravated human trafficking, attempted aggravated indecency, and electronic solicitation of a child.
The suspects arrested during the undercover operation are:
Darin B. Price, 52, of Anderson, Missouri
Shawn M. Stout, 40, of Butler, Missouri
Jason A. Jenkins, 38, of Kansas
Reginald L. Jones, 29, of Greenville, Mississippi
Nicholas Reginal, 28, of Jackson, Mississippi
Trevor Porte, 34, of Pittsburg, Kansas
Juan Perez, 38, of Neosho, Missouri
Derek McKenney, 31, of Sarcoxie, Missouri
The authorities did not specify the online platforms they targeted and the circumstances of each arrest. They also did not specify if any of the minors suffered physical harm, and the sheriff’s office generally described the operation as targeting individuals who “prey upon underage victims.”
Sheriff Brian Henderson explained, “This investigation was a true example of the importance of interagency cooperation and the hard work of the officers and investigators who assisted us in this investigation.” “This operation shows the importance of law enforcement agencies working together to protect those that we serve,” he added.
The agencies involved in the investigation include the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Cherokee County Attorney’s Office, and the sheriff’s departments of Crawford, Butler, Ray County, Missouri, Bourbon, and Greenwood counties.
All suspects are assumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
