Lee County Sheriff Office, along with a statewide of other law enforcement agencies initiated Operation Safe Summer and has declared war on sexual predators.
Due to the combined actions all the departments 24 people were arrested for allegedly hoping to hook up with teenaged boys and girls for sex after chatting with them on the Internet. Seven of the arrested were from Lehigh Acres.
Sheriff Mike Scott said the suspects are accused of communicating through social networking sites with plans to meet and commit sex acts with children 14 and 15 years of age.
Those caught in the sting come from all walks of life, including the unemployed, college students, professionals and retirees.
Scott said the operation took three months of preparation and used a home in the county where the arrests all took place. Many of those who were arrested came to the house with illegal narcotics.
The seven from Lehigh are:
– Armando Solis, 22, 1148 Pisa East St.
– Eric Arambula, 36, 5114 S.W. 29th St.
– Joshua Manuel Yslas, 24, 3908 W. 24th St.
– Joshua Rivera, 28, 1523 Lindale Circle
– George Moorman, 30, 228 Ichabod Drive
– Burel Brutus, 40, 4305 Douglas Lane
– Onel Coombs, 21, 846 Grant Blvd.
“One of the most precious but vulnerable assets in our community is the children and we at the sheriff’s office will not tolerate predators,” Scott said.
“Operation Safe Summer served notice that we mean business,” Scott said.