Seven men were arrested in Grant County over the course of several days on suspicion of attempted rape of a child in a multiagency police sting, Washington State Patrol said on Thursday.
"These law enforcement agencies are sending a clear message that the exploitation and abuse of children will not be tolerated. This is a message we proudly support," Grant County Prosecutor Kevin McCrae said of the sting, dubbed Operation Net Nanny. "Individuals who abuse and steal the innocence of children, in person or online, are some of the most heinous and despicable crimes we deal with."
The men allegedly began online communication with what they thought was a child and then agreed to inappropriate interactions with them, Washington State Patrol Sgt. Darren Wright said. Some of them drove for hours to get to Grant County.
Among the men arrested were Omar I. Macinas-Garza, 39, of Grandview; Robert J. Bancroft, 20, of Marysville; Fulgencio Ramos, 21, of Quincy; Joshua K. Leonard, 44, of Omak; Jerardo R. Reyes, 29, of Moses Lake; and Mason Pilling 27, of Moses Lake. A seventh man, Abraham Calderon, 19, of Moses Lake, did not appear in the Grant County inmate roster and was not in court on Thursday.
All of the men were charged with one count of attempted rape of a child and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
The police sting included the collaboration of local law enforcement offices as well as the Department of Homeland Security and FBI.
