Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
A multi-county operation targeting Internet crimes against children nabbed 24 people over the weekend, including three arrested in Shawano County.
It was the fifth such regional sting operation conducted over the past two years, which have resulted in 83 arrests since fall 2012.
The operations originated with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force and involved undercover investigators making online contact with suspected offenders.
Detectives posing as juveniles on the Internet were contacted by the suspects who arranged to meet them for a sexual rendezvous. The suspects were arrested when they arrived.
Shawano County detectives worked with Brown and Oneida counties, along with police in Two Rivers, Wausau and Superior, during the operation that ran from Thursday through Saturday.
Charges were filed in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court on Monday against three suspects arrested in Shawano County.
Troy I. Webster, 35, of Neopit, Jeremy J. Davies, 23, listed as homeless, and Orlando A. Brown, 24, of Green Bay, were each charged with a felony count of using a computer to facilitate a sex crime, which carries a maximum possible penalty of 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
In two of the cases, the suspects came to an arranged location in Wescott to meet with what they believed was a 15-year-old girl, according to the criminal complaints. Webster had arranged to meet what he believed was a 15-year-old boy, according to his complaint.
All three were taken into custody without incident and made their initial appearances Monday before Judge William Kussel Jr.
Webster was ordered held on a $3,000 cash bond and is scheduled for an adjourned initial appearance Monday.
Davies is being held on a $3,500 cash bond and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Brown was ordered held on a $5,000 cash bond and is due in court for an adjourned initial appearance Monday.
This latest sting effort was dubbed Operation Aegis. In addition to the Shawano County arrests, it resulted in the arrests of 11 people in Brown County, six in Wausau, two in Oneida County, and one each in Two Rivers and Superior.
The first of these operations took place in October 2012 and netted six arrests. The second, dubbed Operation Black Veil, occurred in March 2013 and resulted in 18 arrests statewide, including Jeffery D. Vadnais-Speck, 28, of Shawano.
Black Veil II in September 2013 led to 15 arrests, including Richard E. Denty, 34, of Shawano.
In March, authorities arrested 20 people in a three-day, multi-agency Internet sting operation dubbed Operation Vanguard.
Shawano County authorities were involved in five of the 19 arrests, three of which took place in the town of Wescott.
Shawano County arrests included Michael J. Stalvey, 29, of Shawano; James J. Kettleson, 50, of Menasha; and James W. Ritchie, 46, of Shiocton.
In October of last year, Shawano County authorities also ran its own sting effort, dubbed Operation Guardian Angel. The operation led to the arrests of Ryan L. Zempel, 20, of Coleman and Brandon J. Voelz, 22, of Green Bay.