ARKANSAS — Law enforcement arrested more than 40 people in less than three months during a special online crimes against children operation, Arkansas State Police officials announced today.
The investigation ran parallel with the end of the school year before many children enter the vulnerable summer months without supervision.
Agents arrested 42 people from mid-March to the end of May on charges related to Child Sexual Abuse Materials and failing to register, according to an Arkansas State Police news release issued today.
Five children were rescued from active abuse, 22 victims were identified as new cases and nearly 200 search warrants were executed during Operation Cyber Highway Safety Check, an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation.
Of the 63 cases that agents have submitted to state and federal prosecutors, 45 have been “accepted for grand jury indictments.”
Investigations are ongoing across “multiple states,” according to Arkansas State Police.
“This statewide operation has been the most successful in the task force’s history,” ASP Criminal Investigation Division Cmdr. Maj. Stacie Rhoads stated in the news release. “Child predators exploit the innocence and trust of children.”
Arkansas State Police are also distributing informative posters to schools with children who are 12 and above to inform them about the dangers of sextortion.
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