FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Authorities with the Broward County Sheriff's Office (BCSO), a 43-year-old man was on his way to the apartment complex of a 13-year-old girl with hopes of having sex with the underage girl before being arrested on the spot by an undercover agent who was posing as the young girl.
CBS12 reported that the suspect, identified as Nicholas Penaloca, had several condoms in his pocket and a stuffed Mickey Mouse toy in his car when he was arrested. BCSO said that Penaloca began chatting with an undercover Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agent posing as a 13-year-old girl on July 23rd.
Deputies said that when Penaloca learned he was talking to a 13-year-old girl, he solicited her for sex and proceeded to request a sexual photo of her. He then sent her a sexual photo of an adult male.
He continued to make similar requests with the young girl in the following days, both Wednesday, July 24th, and Thursday, July 25th. On Thursday morning, Penaloca traveled to an apartment complex to have sex with the girl, but was instead met with members of BCSO's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and V.I.P.E.R (Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response) who took the suspect into custody.
Penaloca was arrested and booked on counts of solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual conduct, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, transmission of material harmful to minors, and traveling to meet a minor. Penaloca is currently being held at the BCSO's Main Jail.
In a separate incident, the Genesse County Sheriff's Office (GSCO) in Michigan said that a GHOST operation conducted on Tuesday, July 16th, resulted in three arrests, including one suspect who used to work in law enforcement.
According to ABC12 News, Sheriff Chris Swanson said that a man from Lapeer had a sexually-charged conversation with an undercover officer who he believed as a 15-year-old girl. Swanson said that another arrest involved a 60-year-old man who spent 20 years in law enforcement in Genesse County, Tuscola County, and an agency in Florida. The third arrest was a Genesse County man.
The GHOST team is a unit of the sheriff's office that targets alleged child sex predators online often with the use of undercover officers posing as underage minors. GHOST stands for Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team. According to WNEM, Swanson announced the arrests via a Facebook post and spoke Chris Hansen, the host of "To Catch a Predator," providing details on the operation.
Hansen said that the Lapeer man brought marijuana to the person he thought was a 15-year-old girl and that he made several trips around the neighborhood. Hansen said, "He talked about the fact that it might be a set-up and he came anyway." Swanson said that the 60-year-old ex-law enforcement officer tried meeting a girl after sending what he called "the most disgusting chat" that the GHOST team had seen in a long time.
Swanson said, "He came there because he's a sexual deviant and he wanted to do some horrible things to our decoy." The Genesse County man works in the auto parts industry. Swanson said he locked eyes with the decoy and was concerned about a set-up. Hansen said, "He chatted for quite some time. For a minute there we didn't think he was going to show up. He blurred that line between fantasy and reality, and he showed up at the sting."
GHOST was created in 2018 and has operated with the county sheriffs and police agencies in 53 Michigan counties. If anyone is a victim and needs help, they are encouraged to contact the Genesse County Sheriff's Office at 810-257-3422.
CBS12 reported that the suspect, identified as Nicholas Penaloca, had several condoms in his pocket and a stuffed Mickey Mouse toy in his car when he was arrested. BCSO said that Penaloca began chatting with an undercover Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agent posing as a 13-year-old girl on July 23rd.
Deputies said that when Penaloca learned he was talking to a 13-year-old girl, he solicited her for sex and proceeded to request a sexual photo of her. He then sent her a sexual photo of an adult male.
He continued to make similar requests with the young girl in the following days, both Wednesday, July 24th, and Thursday, July 25th. On Thursday morning, Penaloca traveled to an apartment complex to have sex with the girl, but was instead met with members of BCSO's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and V.I.P.E.R (Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response) who took the suspect into custody.
Penaloca was arrested and booked on counts of solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual conduct, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, transmission of material harmful to minors, and traveling to meet a minor. Penaloca is currently being held at the BCSO's Main Jail.
In a separate incident, the Genesse County Sheriff's Office (GSCO) in Michigan said that a GHOST operation conducted on Tuesday, July 16th, resulted in three arrests, including one suspect who used to work in law enforcement.
According to ABC12 News, Sheriff Chris Swanson said that a man from Lapeer had a sexually-charged conversation with an undercover officer who he believed as a 15-year-old girl. Swanson said that another arrest involved a 60-year-old man who spent 20 years in law enforcement in Genesse County, Tuscola County, and an agency in Florida. The third arrest was a Genesse County man.
The GHOST team is a unit of the sheriff's office that targets alleged child sex predators online often with the use of undercover officers posing as underage minors. GHOST stands for Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team. According to WNEM, Swanson announced the arrests via a Facebook post and spoke Chris Hansen, the host of "To Catch a Predator," providing details on the operation.
Hansen said that the Lapeer man brought marijuana to the person he thought was a 15-year-old girl and that he made several trips around the neighborhood. Hansen said, "He talked about the fact that it might be a set-up and he came anyway." Swanson said that the 60-year-old ex-law enforcement officer tried meeting a girl after sending what he called "the most disgusting chat" that the GHOST team had seen in a long time.
Swanson said, "He came there because he's a sexual deviant and he wanted to do some horrible things to our decoy." The Genesse County man works in the auto parts industry. Swanson said he locked eyes with the decoy and was concerned about a set-up. Hansen said, "He chatted for quite some time. For a minute there we didn't think he was going to show up. He blurred that line between fantasy and reality, and he showed up at the sting."
GHOST was created in 2018 and has operated with the county sheriffs and police agencies in 53 Michigan counties. If anyone is a victim and needs help, they are encouraged to contact the Genesse County Sheriff's Office at 810-257-3422.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments
2024-07-31T08:28+0530 | Comment by: Harry
He was probably a good friend of Opra Winfrey !