GOOSE CREEK, S.C. – Police recently arrested at least 10 people accused of meeting a child online and then traveling to Goose Creek with the intent of having sex with them. This multi-agency investigation was part of an online sting called Operation Caught by Cupid.
Initiated by the Goose Creek Police Department, the operation took place between Feb.13-17 of this year.
The operation utilized social media platforms to find people actively pursuing vulnerable children in hopes of sexually abusing them.
According to GCPD, its officers secured a residence within the city limits and had five people travel to the location with the specific intent to have sex with a child.
Since the completion of the operation, police said five more people have been arrested, and six more have multiple warrants pending their capture.
The charges for those arrested included:
- Criminal Exploitation of a Minor
- Criminal Solicitation of a Minor
- Unlawful to Disseminate Obscene Material to a Person Under 18
- Attempted Criminal Sexual Contact with a Minor
“The Goose Creek Police Department urges parents and guardians to actively monitor their children’s internet usage and to have candid conversations with their children about the dangers out there on social media platforms,” the department said in a news release.
There are twenty other people throughout the United States that are being actively investigated and
once the subjects are identified they will face arrest and prosecution, police said.
As part of Operation Caught by Cupid, the Goose Creek Police Department collaborated and received
assistance from the following agencies: South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Secret Service, NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigations Service), Mount Pleasant Police Department, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Moncks Corner Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
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