Limestone County investigators said nine men have been arrested in a human trafficking sting after they tried to pay for sexual acts with online decoys they believed were children.
The Limestone County Sheriff’s office announced the arrest today, saying the men arrested “targeted and solicited” for sex through chat rooms, social media, and other sites.
“These offenders then agreed on cash payments to engage in sexual acts with children and then traveled to designated locations in Limestone County to engage in these unlawful sex acts,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Several were charged with first degree human trafficking, traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act, and electronic solicitation of a child. They were:
Gilbert Jordan, 30, of Madison.
Brandon Adamson, 31, of Athens.
Edgar Castro-Juarez, 28, of Albertville.
Christopher Tomasello, 31, of Blountsville.
Bernardo Sanchez, 41, of Huntsville.
Jacob Farley, 22, of Huntsville.
Collin McGee, 30, of Athens.
Bobby Pincheon, 37, of Hazel Green, was also charged with first degree human trafficking and traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act.
These eight men will have an Aniah’s Law hearing on Thursday.
Cameron Abernathy, 29, of Athens, was charged with traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex act and transmitting obscene material to a child by computer. He is being held on a $100,000 cash bond.
Investigators said the men were not coordinated into any type of “ring.”
According to the sheriff’s office, several months of planning went into the operation, and similar investigations are planned.
“We remain committed to protecting those who are most vulnerable in our community by proactively disrupting the child sex trade and arresting sex traffickers,” the sheriff’s office stated.
In a message, the sheriff’s office urged parents to supervise and monitor all electronic devices used by their children.
“These devices, such as smartphones, tablets, video gaming platforms, and computers, are an open door to your child’s mind. If unguarded, I assure you these online predators will be looking,” the sheriff’s office stated.