LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Police say an undercover operation in North Las Vegas led to the arrests of 18 child sex predators in North Las Vegas.
These arrests should serve as a reminder to parents to discuss online safety with their children, and to routinely monitor their children's social media activity, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department wrote in a news release on Thursday.
The 18 men were arrested over a two-day period from Aug. 22 to Aug. 23 during a joint operation between state, federal and local law enforcement. Police identified those arrested as follows:
- Andres Herrera-Rodriguez, 34
- Trevor Moody, 24
- Jordan James, 22
- Jose Haro Castaneda, 46
- Jacob Miller, 23
- Jesse Baca, 37
- Marc Carofano III, 28
- Giovanni Cruz, 30
- Renato Moreno, 45
- Arcenio Lagas Jr., 24
- Jaret Ward, 26
- Andrew Naranjo, 31
- Jason Creech, 48
- Wilberth Maldecino, 32
- Roy Romero, 30
- Leon Park, 40
- Manuel Cruz, 29
- Michael Reider, 60
The final subject, Michael Reider, faces a charge of attempted sexual assault of a minor under 14, police stated. The other 17 face charges for luring a minor with a computer to engage in sex.
Parents should take note of these arrests as a reminder of the dangers children can encounter on social media, police said.
"Parents are encouraged to routinely monitor their children's activity on social media and other online applications to prevent them from becoming victims of a child sex predator," police stated.
Any one who may have been a victim of any of the subjects police identified — or who has additional information about them — can contact LVMPD's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at 702-828-3111. Anonymous tips can be made through Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or crimestoppersofnv.com.
"This operations was conducted as part of the ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime and protect children in our community," Las Vegas police noted in their statement.
