Huge Child Sex Sting Busts 26 in Tri-Cities, 13 in Spokane
According to the Washington State Patrol, and other law enforcement agencies, the latest in what are called Net Nanny operations has resulted in 26 people being arrested in the Mid-Columbia. 13 others were nabbed in Spokane, and all their identities made public.
The operations are carried out by the State Patrol's Missing and Exploited Children's task force. The 26 men reportedly showed up at a Richland apartment under the pretense of having sexual relations with young boys or girls.
These operations have been taking place since 2015, and over 115 people have been arrested in our area alone. The task force and other law enforcement agencies also work to remove endangered children from situations where they may be exposed to predators, according to the Tri-City Herald. Authorities said several hundred people actually answered the ads, posted on various online sale sites and social media, but the only ones arrested were those who actually showed up at the location.
In this latest sweep, the arrests occurred between Thursday and Sunday. Here's a list of the Tri-City area people arrested:
.Ryan D. Harris, 32, Pendleton
▪ Douglas Arbogast, 70, Pasco
▪ Marco A. Celis-Hernandez, 21, Richland
▪ Andrew L. Sanders, 33, Pasco
▪ John M. Scheline, 40, Pasco
▪ Gabriel Saenz, 41, Kennewick
▪ William J. Barrett, 47, Kennewick
▪ Darren J. Kerbyson, 50, West Richland
▪ James C. Doty, 34, Richland
▪ Yasir M. Majeed, 35, Kennewick
▪ Gregory B. Taber, 65, Pasco
▪ John N. Schouviller, 31, Pasco
▪ Antonio C. Garcia, 21, Richland
▪ Lucas F. Beach, 38, Pasco
▪ Stephen C. Perez, 45, Pasco
▪ Ali Almafoodh, 35, Kennewick
▪ Kyle R. Sickels, 25, Kennewick
▪ Jesus G. Contreras Salgado, 29, Tieton
▪ Dewayne L. Hetrick, 42, Kennewick
▪ Thomas A. Swarers, 69, Kennewick
▪ Jerome G. Williams, 24, Kennewick
▪ James C. Escobedo, 20, Kennewick
▪ Yuriy L. Gulchuk, 35, Kennewick
▪ Jairo Lopez, 20, Yakima
▪ Aaron D. Hagerty, 42, Kennewick
▪ Daniel A. Medina, 20, Pendleton