Sting nets 2 county men
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Two Butler County men allegedly traveled to Ohio last week to meet with individuals they made contact with online for sex.
The two men — David Kent, 24, of Cranberry Township, and Steven Sutton, 44, of Prospect — were arrested by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force along with 14 others as part of an undercover operation targeting predators seeking to sexually exploit children.
The task force, which is part of the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, conducted the operation from May 14 to 16. According to Maj. Jeff Allen of the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office, the sting was conducted online. He said suspects then traveled into the county to meet with individuals they believed were real. Police declined to specify the ages or genders of the individuals the suspects believed they were meeting.
Kent and Sutton are both charged with felony importuning, possession of criminal tools and attempted unlawful conduct with a minor. Kent posted $7,500 bond, while Sutton posted $9,000 bond. The men are due back in court Tuesday.
According to a news release issued by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the arrests were part of the second undercover sting operation this year in the Youngstown area.“This trap will be laid time and time again until the message reverberates — don't buy sex in Ohio,” Yost said. “Task forces are a force multiplier and their success is evident in the number of criminals taken off the street.”The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission supports law enforcement agencies by coordinating task forces to investigate organized crime that crosses city, township and county borders. Special agents from the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation also participated in the task force's operation.Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene said his office is pleased with the outcome of the operation as well as an earlier operation in March that netted eight men.“This task force is not going to give up or let up on these types of crimes,” he said. “If you are someone using the Internet to exploit underage children, we want you to know you may be talking to us.”
