OPELIKA, Ala. - Investigators arrested 11 men during an undercover child predator sting at an Opelika hotel last Thursday and last Friday.
Opelika hotel child predator sting
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff's Office in Alabama joined forces with the Covenant Rescue Group, the Auburn Police Department, and the Opelika Police Department to execute a two-day sting operation targeting child predators at a local hotel in Opelika. Undercover officers chatted online with multiple men who arranged to travel to the hotel to have sex with a minor female.
Deputies arrested 10 men and charged each with one count of child solicitation by computer, one count of traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, and one count of prostitution with a minor:
- Cecil Leroy Carlton Sr., 49, of Opelika
- Damarea Amir Yancey, 23, of Opelika
- Kenneth Michael Hodges, 37, of Tuskegee
- Yasuf Abdul Hannan Mansaray, 26, of Auburn
- Cesar Lopez Ramirez, 19, of Auburn
- Pablo Uscanga, 26, of Auburn
- James Miles Mcray, 39, of Roanoke
- Damien Prosser, 60, of Gainesville, Georgia
- Petr V. Cholak, 48, of Inman, South Carolina
- Tylik Marcel James, 27, of Union Springs
Officers booked all 10 men into the Lee County Detention Facility with bond set at $130,000 each.
A 20-year-old Auburn man faces additional charges. Deputies charged Treveontae Jamal Hutchinson with two counts of child solicitation by computer, two counts of traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, and two counts of prostitution with a minor. Officers booked Hutchinson into the Lee County Detention Center on a $260,000 bond.
Lee County law enforcement response
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released the specific name or location of the Opelika hotel where the arrests occurred. Officials have also not disclosed details regarding the specific online platforms or apps the men used to communicate with undercover officers.
Anti-human trafficking efforts
What they're saying:
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones emphasized the importance of community partnerships in protecting children from online threats.
"The Covenant Rescue Group's stated mission is to fight human trafficking and child exploitation along with assisting law enforcement with training and partnership operations to identify those who victimize children," Jones said. "We stand with them in this effort and will continue to engage in actions to identify and apprehend those who would place our children at risk."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Lee County Sheriff's Office Investigations unit, which detailed the arrests and joint sting operation. The original story has been updated to correct the location of Opelika.