Men Arrested In Larimer County Child Prostitution Stings
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office has announced the arrests of nine men in recent undercover child prostitution operations.
That's according to a post on the agency's Facebook page.
According to the post, in late June the sheriff's office conducted a two-day operation with investigators posing as underage sex workers in online forums.
Men solicited sexual services from the undercover operators, and when the men went to the agreed-upon location they were met by law enforcement.
Five men were arrested through this effort.
Gregory Thoke, 34
⚬ Soliciting for Child Prostitution (F3)
⚬ Patronizing a Prostituted Child (F3)
⚬ Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child (F5)
Thoke was issued a $7,500 cash bond by Magistrate Schwartz.
Austin Sexton, 37
⚬ Soliciting for Child Prostitution (F3)
⚬ Patronizing a Prostituted Child (F4)
⚬ Cybercrime – Soliciting a Minor (F5)
⚬ Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child (F5)
Sexton was issued a $1,000 cash bond by Magistrate Schwartz.
Luis Son Gonon, 27
⚬ Soliciting for Child Prostitution (F3)
⚬ Patronizing a Prostituted Child (F4)
⚬ Cybercrime – Soliciting a Minor (F5)
⚬ Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child (F5)
Son Gonon was issued a $1,000 cash bond by Magistrate Schwartz.
Thomas Garcia, 40
⚬ Soliciting for Child Prostitution (F3)
⚬ Internet Luring of a Child with Intent to Exploit (F4)
⚬ Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child (F5)
⚬ Controlled Substance – Possession with Intent (DF2)
⚬ Marijuana Concentrate – Possession with Intent (DM1)
Garcia was issued a $75,000 cash/surety bond by Magistrate Schwartz.
Richard Gunning, 55
⚬ Soliciting for Child Prostitution (F3)
⚬ Internet Luring of a Child with Intent to Exploit (F4)
⚬ Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child (F5)
Gunning was issued a $50,000 cash/surety bond by Magistrate McDonald. This was later reduced to a $2,000 cash/surety bond by Judge Villasenor during the defendant's
first appearance hearing.
Four more were arrested in a joint operation between the sheriff's office and the Johnstown Police Department between July 6-8.
Those arrests include the following men according to a news release:
- Devin Michael Weilnau, 29, Weld County
- Michael Vincent Hughes, 32, Larimer County
- Randy Whitman, 58, Larimer County
- Mark Joseph Gallegos, 58, Larimer County
- Weilnau, Hughes, and Whitman, not Johnstown residents, are being charged with 2 counts of: solicitation of child prostitution, enticement of a child, and internet luring of a child. Michael Vincent Hughes is also being charged with 2 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
- Mark Joseph Gallegos, not a Johnstown resident, is being charged with 1 count each of: solicitation of child prostitution, enticement of a child, and internet luring of a child. An additional charge for Gallegos is pending.
Fort Collins Police Services, the Windsor Police Department, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation are also being credited for helping with this investigation.
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