The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested 23 people during Operation Intercept VII, a four-day initiative focused on protecting Sarasota County children from online predators and human trafficking.

 

Suspects ranging in age from 21 to 77 responded to Internet-based ads, online apps and social media sites to engage in sexually explicit written and verbal conversations. One of the suspects, John Inga, was visiting Florida from Oklahoma and drove from Lakeland to Sarasota to meet a 14-year-old child. William Heagney from Crystal River drove two hours south on a suspended license. At the time of his arrest, Heagney was riding a bicycle and was in possession of child pornography on his phone. Over the course of ten days, Heagney sent more than 90 explicit photos of himself to who he believed was a 14-year-old child. Several men brought condoms; one brought candy and another brought a sex toy. Ultimately all 23 arrestees traveled with the intent of having sex with a male or female child.

 

“I wish I could say these operations were no longer needed but time and time again, even after we make dozens of arrests, these men keep coming back for more,” commented Sheriff Knight. "In this digital world we live in, innocent children are far too accessible to predators. That is why, as parents, we have to get serious about prevention. Parents are the first line of defense and we will never stop reminding our community of that.”

 

The following suspects were arrested in the four-day operation and charged with:

 

-       Angel Alcala-Yanez, DOB 06/25/91, of 5908 11th Street East, Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery and Soliciting Prostitution.  He reports he is employed as a roofer.

 

-       Yunier Alfonso, DOB 02/18/87, of 204 Molokai Drive, Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts.

 

-       Terrance Barnes, DOB 12/29/92, of 13302 Cedar Bay Court, Riverview, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery, Transmission of Harmful Material to a Minor and Resisting Arrest Without Violence.

 

-       Daniel Gilliland, DOB 08/03/90, of 4709 Acorn Circle, Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports he is employed as a landscaper.

 

-       Hamza Hafeez, DOB 07/09/98, of 10501 FGCU Boulevard South, Fort Myers, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. Hafeez is a college student.

 

-       Dwight Harris, DOB 10/05/89, of 22490 Amigo Avenue, Port Charlotte, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery and Transmission of Harmful Material.

 

-       William Heagney, DOB 08/08/74, of 8185 West Winifred Court, Crystal River, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery, Possession of Child Pornography and 91 counts of Transmission of Harmful Material. He reports he is self-employed as a handyman.

 

-       John Inga, DOB 11/14/90, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports he works in construction and is foreign-born.

 

-       Hamid Keshmirian, DOB 09/19/57, of 5406 Colleen Drive, Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports he is the owner of a dry-cleaning business.

 

-       Jakari King, DOB 01/25/90, of 3608 Stokes Drive, Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Act, and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports he works as a chef.

 

-       Cody Mathis, DOB 02/12/95, of 6118 Carlton Avenue, Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports that he works as a contractor.

 

-       Ernest Panebianco, DOB 08/06/54, of 440 Patterson Avenue, Osprey, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports he is employed as a gas station clerk.

 

-       David Perez-Mendez, DOB 12/06/93, of 1401 East 143rd Avenue, Tampa, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. Perez-Mendez is foreign-born and works in construction.

 

-       Judson Perkins, DOB 02/15/87, of 2505 2nd Avenue East, Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery and two counts of Transmission of Harmful Material.

 

-       James Persons, DOB 04/21/42, of 354 Suwanee Avenue, Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery.

 

-       Elias Pineda-Gamez, DOB 10/30/89, of 1214 30th Avenue East, Bradenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports he works as a tile installer.

 

-       Demetris Roberts, DOB 02/02/89, of 1209 11th Avenue West, Palmetto, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts, Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery and Violation of Probation. He reports he works in construction.

 

-       Randy Royce, DOB 12/01/70, of 1828 Bahia Vista Street, Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery. He reports that he works as a real estate agent.

 

-       Kristopher Ryan, DOB 01/05/82, of 6610 Rick Bridge Lane, Ellenton, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports that he works as an electrician.

 

-       Manikanta Sunkara, DOB 12/23/92, of 5238 Sunridge Palm Drive, Tampa, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. Sunkara is foreign-born and unemployed.

 

-       Kenneth Thompson, DOB 02/17/96, of 3001 Bee Ridge Road, Unit 217, Sarasota, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act and Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts. He reports he works as a postal carrier.

 

-       William Zimmerman, DOB 02/18/96, of 5098 Dewberry Street, North Port, is charged with Use of a Computer to Solicit a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Travelling to Solicit a Child to Commit Sex Acts and Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He reports he is self-employed as a tiler.

 

The sheriff’s office regularly conducts initiatives to curb child sexual exploitation and trafficking. In May 2018, Sheriff Knight announced the results of Operation Intercept V, in which 21 men were arrested for similar crimes. During his news conference, Knight released a graphic titled, “Nine Apps Parents Should Know About,” which identified nine mobile applications frequently downloaded by children that can be utilized by predators for purposes of exploitation. In July, Knight added six applications to the list and released a new graphic titled, “Fifteen Apps Parents Should Know About.”  

 

During Operation Intercept VII, detectives identified six additional social media platforms the arrestees utilized to communicate with children. The graphic is now known as “21 Apps Parents Should Know About.” New to the list is Plenty of Fish, HILY, MocoSpace, Zoosk, Best Secret Folder and Monkey. Some of the arrestees also used traditional websites including SkipTheGames.com and EbonyFlirt.com.  

 

Operation Intercept VII was conducted with support from the North Port and Sarasota Police Departments. Several of those arrested are still under continued investigation for other related and non-related crimes.