COLUMBUS, Ohio – Authorities have arrested more than 100 people in Ohio as part of a child sex trafficking sting, according to WPXI.
More than 30 law enforcement agencies collaborated to arrest 104 people, which yielded 53 felony charges, according to a statement from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
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Among those charged were a medical doctor and a church youth director, WBNS-TV reported.
In the operation, known as Fourth and Goal, law enforcement officers posed as children online and talked with men, Maj. Steven Tucker, with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, told WBNS-TV. Of the men officers communicated with, 24 showed up to try to meet people they thought were children.
"They show up with things that clearly somebody isn't going to show up to a house with, unless they intended to engage in sexual activity," Tucker said.
Each of the 24 men was charged with importuning and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, according to the statement.
In addition to internet predators, the operation targeted human traffickers. Thirty-six men were arrested on solicitation charges, one man was arrested on suspicion of promoting prostitution and 43 women were arrested on suspicion of selling sex.
"Please talk to your children," Tucker said. "Please know what they're doing online. Set the rules. Be the parent. Be the parent. Know who they're talking to. You're entitled to ask. You're entitled to know. The children need to know, you can't trust everybody. Not every adult is trustworthy."