Florida undercover child sex predator operation leads to arrest of a dozen men in five days



In just five days, an "elaborate multi-agency" undercover child sex predator operation in Florida led to the arrest of a dozen men. Authorities say the suspects were attempting to engage in sexual activities with children under the age of 14.

"Operation Wolves Blanket" was led by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Department of Homeland Security, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the state attorney’s office, Panama City Beach Police, Panama City Police Department, and deputies from Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Offices.

Between Jan. 26 and Jan. 30, law enforcement agents carried out an Internet Crimes Against Children operation targeting individuals pursuing children for sexual activity. Investigators posed as minors on the internet and engaged with adult men online who were allegedly interested in soliciting sexual acts from children under the age of 14.

The suspects, all men between the ages of 18 and 48, visited a location that authorities had set up to make arrests, according to the Walton County Sheriff's Office.

The undercover sting operation ended with the arrest of 12 men on charges of child solicitation.

All of the suspects were charged with second and third-degree felonies. The Walton County Sheriff's Office said, "Potential prison sentences range from five to 15 years behind bars per charge if found guilty and up to 25 years based on some sentencing guidelines."

Suspects were arrested in Walton County on Florida's panhandle in between Pensacola and Panama City. Two suspects were from out of state, one from Mississippi and the other from Alabama.

"Our goal was to identify child predators and get them out of our communities," Sheriff Michael Adkinson said. "There is no shortage of these individuals preying on our youth; we must all be vigilant."

Operation Wolves Blanket suspects who were arrested:

  • Hazzie Carter, 39, of Gulfport, Mississippi
  • David Chocojay, 34, of Mobile, Alabama
  • Tananan Wanna, 41, of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
  • Eric Dotlich, 42, of Pensacola, Florida
  • Dakota Davis, 22, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida
  • Cody Hamm, 27, of Cottondale, Florida
  • Carter Gile, 25, of Navarre, Florida
  • Joshua Ward, 18, of Gulf Breeze, Florida
  • Christian Coon, 22, of DeFuniak Springs, Florida
  • Warwick Marsh, 26, of Destin, Florida
  • Hassani Brown, 19, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida
  • Allen Morrow, 48, of Niceville, Florida

Walton County Sheriff's Office

Police arrest 37 people for child sex crimes, human trafficking during 'Operation Broken Hearts'



More than three dozen people have been arrested in connection to a large-scale human trafficking operation in Arizona. "Operation Broken Hearts" was a multi-agency mission to catch sexual predators in the Phoenix-area.

The undercover sting operation arrested 37 people, all of which were between the ages of 21 to 66. Law enforcement said the suspects solicited sex acts with undercover officers and were subsequently arrested.

Operation Broken Hearts was conducted by the Phoenix Police Department, Mesa Police Department, Tempe Police Department, Chandler Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

"Operation Broken Hearts was an undercover operation targeting sexual predators engaged in child sex crimes and human trafficking," the Phoenix Police Department said in a statement. "Throughout the operational period, officers and undercover detectives placed ads on websites and apps which are commonly sought out by suspects seeking illegal sex acts with children."

"These suspects solicited and/or brokered deals for various sex acts and were subsequently arrested," the PPD said on Friday. "The combined efforts of the agencies involved, are part of a nationwide effort to eliminate human and sex trafficking."

In late January, during National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Operation Reclaim & Rebuild nabbed 64 people for alleged sex crimes in Riverside, California.

"Operation Lost Angels," a multi-agency human trafficking investigation led by the FBI in January, resulted in the rescue of 33 missing children in California.

In November, the U.S. Marshals Service tracked down 27 missing children in Virginia during "Operation Find Our Children."

In October, Marshals announced the recovery of 45 endangered children and 178 arrests in Ohio and West Virginia during "Operation Autumn Hope."

On Oct. 1, the Marshals Service recovered 11 children in New Orleans, two of whom were said to be in "extreme danger."

On Sept. 21, "Operation Safety Net" resulted in 35 missing children being recovered in Ohio by the U.S. Marshals.

On Sept. 4, Marshals proclaimed that they had located eight "highly endangered" missing children during "Operation Homecoming" in Indiana.

On Aug. 27, "Operation Not Forgotten" led to the discovery of 39 missing children in Florida and Georgia. Law enforcement stated that the children were between the ages of 3 and 17. Of the 39 endangered children, 15 were victims of sex trafficking.

Florida deputy arrested after allegedly soliciting sexually explicit photos from who he thought was a 15-year-old girl



A Florida deputy was arrested for soliciting sexually explicit photos from who he thought was a 15-year-old girl but was actually a campaign to catch child predators in Charlotte County, Florida.

The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said that one of their own deputies had been arrested for allegedly trying to have a sexual relationship with an underage girl online.

That girl was, in actuality, a man named Lee Bassett and a woman named Rebecca Freeman.

Lee Bassett is a construction worker who also leads a team of people, including Freeman, dedicated to exposing predators who are trying to take advantage of children on social media.

"There's just a lot of creeps out there, and we're just trying to expose them and bring awareness to it," Bassett said in an interview with the Port Charlotte Sun. "A lot of times when cops do it, they don't get an arrest until the crime's already been committed. Doing it this way exposes them before they're doing the crimes."

But when he discovered that one of the men he was talking to was a sheriff's deputy, he called the police.

"As soon as we found that out I had to call the cops right away," Bassett said to WBBH-TV.

Bassett said he had talked to Deputy Martin Allen, 41, for 10 months before he turned the matter over to the police.

Sheriff Bill Prummell said Allen allegedly made many explicit suggestions to the man posing as a teenager on social media.

"From sleeping nude together to taking showers to giving massages. Allen went as far as asking if the 15-year-old girl would move in with him," Prummell said.

"Deputy Allen has broken his oath and that sacred trust that is expected as a law enforcement officer, instead, choosing to prey upon those he swore to serve and protect. This cannot and will not be tolerated," he added.

Freeman praised the police for their quick response after they informed them about Allen.

"I thought are they going to try to help us? Or are they going to try to protect him? But thank God they did the right thing and got him off the street," Freeman said.

However, law enforcement officials warned the public against vigilantism.

Allen was charged with lewd and lascivious conduct. He was also placed on administrative leave without pay.

Here's a local news report about the arrest:

Charlotte County deputy arrested for sending sexual messages to teenwww.youtube.com