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01/15/2018 11:00 PMOver the course of three days, Guilford Police, along with multiple other agencies, engaged in operation “Not My Town,” a concentrated effort to catch sexual predators. The operation resulted in the arrest of five men seeking sex with those they believed to be female minors.
According to a press release from the Guilford Police Department, “Between Jan. 12 and Jan. 14 at the direction of and in collaboration with the New Haven Office of the State’s Attorney, the Guilford Police Department and the Veterans 4 Child Rescue Foundation conducted Operation ‘Not In My Town,’ which is a regional/multi-jurisdictional joint/parallel sting operation focused on identifying and arresting potential sex offenders that had arranged sexual liaisons with children (fictional characters) they made contact with using various social media applications over the internet.”
Guilford Police Chief Jeff Hutchinson said law enforcement from Branford, Clinton, Fairfield, Madison, Milford, North Haven, West Haven, the Shoreline Technical Crimes Investigative Group, and the Connecticut Human Trafficking Task Force aided in the effort.
To catch the sexual predators, Hutchinson said law enforcement built fake online profiles to lure the suspects. The men who were arrested came to a home in Guilford, expecting to meet a young girl, and were promptly arrested by police officers.
“The end result was we arrested five men who traveled to Guilford to meet with what they believed was a 38-year old woman who was providing her 13-year-old daughter for sex,” he said.
None of the men arrested were from Guilford. The Veterans 4 Child Rescue Foundation filmed the operation as part of a documentary. Hutchinson said the goal of the operation was to catch predators and to also raise awareness about this issue.
“It’s real, it’s happening,” he said. “It does happen in towns like Guilford and to get some education in place…This stuff is going on right under our noses, so it is important to address this.”
According to the press release, the Guilford Police Department will host and participate in educational seminars on this issue in the coming months in an effort to raise awareness and educate both parents and children on this issue.
Hutchinson said the men who were arrested have some “next-level perversions.” He said the fact that the department was able to take down five men in three days points to the magnitude of this issue and that it’s the intention of the Police Department to continue pursuing this.
“It’s the enforcement and deterrent effect that we are looking for,” he said. “We are hopeful that this at least helps curb this.”
Parents and educators are encouraged to contact the Guilford Police Department Crime Prevention Unit at 203-453-8061 for information on Internet safety. Dates and times for the educational event will be announced soon.
Profiles of those arrested can be found in a Guilford Police Department press release at guilfordpd.com. All five are facing charges of Criminal Attempt to Commit Sexual Assault in the 2nd Degree and Criminal Attempt to Commit Risk of Injury.
Check back for updates.