OCALA, Fla. – Twenty people were arrested in an online sting trying to catch suspects looking for sexual activity with children, including a horse trainer who police say works with children in Marion County.
The Ocala Police Department said on Monday that detectives posed as minors in online chat applications, including one called “Sniffies,” which is a map-based app for people looking for sex.
Sheriff’s officials said detectives made contact with 37-year-old Joshua Faulkner, who’s accused of setting up a meetup at an area gas station with an undercover detective posing as a 16-year-old.
Faulkner, whose address on an arrest affidavit is in Morriston, west of Ocala, was arrested at the gas station.
Faulkner allegedly runs a horse training facility in Morriston, and police said he is known to work with children there.
Another suspect, Trevor Hedge, 56, was also accused of using the Sniffies app to solicit sex from an undercover detective posing as a teenager. Hedge, a registered sex offender, was arrested at a gas station, too.
Eighteen other people were also arrested in the sting. Here’s the full list:
- Joshua Faulkner, 37
- Trevor Hedge, 56
- William Kucharenko, 41
- Devon Campbell, 28
- Travis Taylor, 36
- Ranza Bateman, 69
- Tevin Bennett, 29
- Harold Lopez Alaniz, 34
- Henrickey Francois, 25
- John Buckley, 48
- Joshua Vasquez, 25
- Cody Alley, 33
- Christopher McTiernan, 25
- Tyrese Noland, 25
- Destin Delray, 66
- Deivis Munoz Hernandez, 26
- Michael Manigault, 37
- Richardo Foley, 52
- Brandon Tuffie, 43
- George Davis, 37
The men face a total of 80 charges collectively, including:
- Travel to meet a minor
- Soliciting a minor
- Transmission of harmful material
- Two-way communication device-related offenses
- Possession of narcotics
- Possession (bestiality material)
- Misrepresenting age to a minor
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
- Possession of a firearm
- Fleeing law enforcement