SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. – The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested 25 suspects, aged 19-65, as a result of Operation Intercept VI over a four-day period last week.

Its predecessor, Operation Intercept V, netted 21 in May 2018.

Operation Intercept VI was designed as a honey trap for would-be sexual predators. Suspects thought they were communicating with children through online ads but were actually soliciting sexual favors from undercover detectives.

The suspects come from a shocking cross-section.

Chief Petty Officer in Navy, Travis Deal, was set to deploy the day after arrest, used Internet to communicate with what he thought was 14-year old.

Three are foreign born.

Two are illegals.

Collectively, these offenders have 38 prior charges and 15 prior convictions.

An Uber driver.

A food delivery guy.

Another who works in lawn care.

An electrician.

One works at a car dealership.

Another, at a shopping mall. One man has HIV.

“The most frightening thing as your sheriff is the access and exposure that children have everyday to the apps and these individuals that we continue to arrest,” Sheriff Thomas Knight said in a press conference held July 26, 2019.

Sex with children was the intent.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office worked alongside the Department of Homeland Security, the Desoto County Sheriff’s Office and North Port Police Department to nab the offenders.

“Unfortunately, the internet allows for easy and anonymous access to children by strangers who are hiding behind a computer screen. That is why these operations are paramount to ensuring our most vulnerable population is safe and protected,” commented Sheriff Tom Knight. “The men arrested during this operation managed to blend into society and attempted to prey on children by developing a trust through promises to exploit them for sexual purposes. So long as men like these prey upon our community, I will ensure our ongoing commitment to putting them behind bars.”

Sheriff Knight warned parents they should be aware of 15 common apps frequently downloaded by children that predators can use to exploit them.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested 25 people during Operation Intercept VI, a 4-day initiative focused on protecting Sarasota County children from online predators and human trafficking. Suspects ranging in age from 19-65 responded to Internet-based ads, online apps and social media sites to engage in sexually explicit written and verbal conversations. One of the suspects rode a three-wheel bicycle to the home while in possession of cocaine and another brought with him two firearms and several narcotics. One man attempted to lure the child into his vehicle while several sent explicit photos and brought condoms with them. Ultimately all 25 arrestees traveled with the intent of having sex with a male or female child.

WCTV reported that those arrested include:

• Steven Aldacosta, 39, of Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts.
• Richard Antico, 32, of Lake Worth, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he is employed as a food deliveryman.
• Jose Ayala-Gil, 22, of Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he is employed as a detailer at a Sarasota car wash. Ayala-Gil is a foreign born resident with an alien registration and prior criminal history.
• Georgios Bakomihalis, 27, of Wimauma, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he is employed as an Uber driver.
• Nicholas Bonito, 19, of Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts.
• Arthur Byrne, 28, of Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, and Possession of a MDMA.
• Azis Casanas-Ramos, 19, of Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts.
• Joseph Cate, 33, of Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he is employed as a mechanic.
• Maxwell Crain-Perrault, 19, of Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts.
• Andrew Crose, 26, of Venice, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, and Violation of Probation. He reports he works for a lawn care company.
• Travis Deel, 39, of Jacksonville, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Transmission of Harmful Material. At the time of his arrest, Deel was enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a chief petty officer, scheduled to deploy the following day.
• Michael Doran, 28, of Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, Transmission of Harmful Materials, Possession of Cocaine, and Violation of Probation. Doran rode his bicycle to the home while in possession of cocaine. He reports he is employed as a cook in Sarasota.
• Jarred Durant, 25, of Riverview, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, and two counts of Possession of a Concealed Firearm. When Durant arrived to the home, he was in possession of two guns and various narcotics.
• Constantin Fota, 27, of Lehigh Acres, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts.
• Christopher Hamilton, 54, of Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, Prostitution, and Commit to Offer Prostitution with Transmission of HIV. He reports he is employed at a car dealership in Sarasota.
• Richard LaGace Sr., 65, of Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, and Transmission of Harmful Material.
• Omar Lazo, 22, of Tampa, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he is employed as an electrician.
• Pedro Lopez-Garcia, 31, of Palmetto, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, and three counts of Transmission of Harmful Materials. He is an illegal immigrant and reports he works as a handyman and roofer. Upon Lopez-Garcia’s arrest, deputies notified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) however, he was later released on bond.
• Marcos Manuel-Juan, 23, of Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He is an illegal immigrant who reports he is employed as a fiberglass repairman. Manuel-Juan is currently in the custody of ICE.
• Michael McBee, 34, of Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he is employed as a retail store manager in Ellenton. When McBee arrived to the home, he attempted to lure the child into his vehicle.
• Douglas Mutschler, 38, of Venice, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, and Violation of Probation stemming from charges in 2017 in Seminole County for Traveling to Meet a Minor and Unlawful Sexual Activity with Certain Minors.
• Austin Patterson, 23, of Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he is employed as a cook in Bradenton.
• Joshua Rector, 24, of Punta Gorda, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts.
• Geovany Rodriguez, 27, of Palmetto, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he is employed at a pawnshop in Bradenton.
• Juan Vazquez, 19, of Davenport, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Traveling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, and Transmission of Harmful Material.

Sheriff Knight stated he will continue to carry out these operations but realizes that they are not a deterrent. He’s confident that he will continue to lock up as many, and more.

Parents, he said, have to keep watch over their children, watch the apps, and challenge their children rather than placate them.