Four arrested in Clarke County, Alabama human trafficking sting targeting minors
Clarke County Sheriff's Office arrested four men in a joint operation targeting the sexual trafficking of minors. Three further suspects face charges of transmitting obscene material to a minor.
Clarke County sting nets four arrests over alleged child trafficking
Four men have been arrested in Clarke County, Alabama, following a law enforcement operation targeting the human trafficking of minors, fox10tv.com reports, citing a Facebook post by the Clarke County Sheriff's Office.
The operation was conducted in partnership with Covenant Rescue Group, with additional support from the Jackson Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Citronelle Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to authorities, each of the four suspects allegedly arranged to pay for sexual services from a person they believed to be under 16 years old. Those arrested are:
- Kevin Funes, 21, of Mobile, Alabama
- Aaron Casey Peel, 26, of Porterville, Mississippi
- James Wesley Havelin, 42, of Malcolm, Alabama
- Richard Eugene Smith, 54, of Mobile, Alabama
All four face charges of Human Trafficking First Degree, Electronic Solicitation of a Child, and Traveling to Meet a Child for an Unlawful Sex Act. Peel faces an additional charge of Resisting Arrest.
Three further individuals allegedly transmitted obscene material to a minor during the same operation. The Sheriff's Office stated that additional arrests are expected in the near future.
Investigations into each suspect remain ongoing, and further charges may follow. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)