6 men arrested during undercover sex sting operation in west Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — Six men were arrested during an undercover operation where law enforcement targeted men who were allegedly seeking minors online to have sex with, the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force reports.

The operation, which lasted two months, consisted of officers going undercover with fake profiles, where men would solicit them for sex and engage in sexually explicit conversations, believing that the person in question was underage.

Five of the six suspects recently traveled to a residence in an attempt to meet with the minor, but were met by task force officers instead. The final suspect was arrested Wednesday morning.

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“With so many online social platforms available, children and teenagers are at a much greater risk of sexual exploitation today than ever before, “ task force commander Capt. Phil Simpson said in a statement. “We hope these arrests send a clear message to predators that they will go to jail when they use social media to solicit victims. The operation can also serve as a conversation starter between parents, caretakers and children about online safety.”

Those who were arrested include:

• Romel Estuardo Gomez-Cruz, 33, from Auburn. He was arrested Aug. 20 on charges of electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act. His bond was set at $90,000.
• Vincent Rashad Farley, 36, of Tuscaloosa. He was arrested Aug. 20 on charges of electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act. Bond was set at $90,000.
• Devon Jeremiah Allen, 25, of Tuscaloosa. He was arrested Sept. 22 on charges of electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act. Bond was set at $90,000.
• Christopher Demetrius Carter, 29, of Tuscaloosa. He was arrested Sept. 23 on charges of electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act. Bond was set at $90,000.
• Damion Ladarius Cooper, 26, of Tuscaloosa. He was arrested Oct. 27 on charges of electronic solicitation of
  a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act. Bond was set at $90,000.
• Chase Anthony Reyes, 22, was charged with two counts of electronic solicitation of a child. He was arrested Wednesday morning. Bond was set at $60,000.

The West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force includes officers from Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama and Northport police departments. The operation was conducted with assistance from the Tuscaloosa Police Cyber Intel Unit, Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue, Northport Fire Rescue, the University of Alabama’s Institute of Data and Analytics, Hoover Police, University of West Alabama Police and Trafficking Hope.