SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — An undercover investigation in Northwest Florida led to the arrests of eight men accused of trying to meet with an underage girl.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said the men thought they were traveling to meet up with a 14-year-old girl. Instead, those men were met with deputies.
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The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, along with the assistance of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Air Force Office of Special Operations, conducted the operation from Aug. 20-23.
The sheriff’s office said deputies and agents posed as children on commonly used social media outlets and chat applications. They said undercover officers identified themselves as minors, and the suspects proceeded to send explicit messages, some including photos or videos.
According to the sheriff’s office, the suspects each allegedly arranged a meetup with whom they believed to be minors in person with the intent of engaging in illegal activity.
When they arrived, they were taken into custody.
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The sheriff’s office arrested these eight men:
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60-year-old Shawn Michael Reinhard of Shalima
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60-year-old Lloyd Ashley Resureccion of Fort Walton Beach
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19-year-old Aiden Christopher Harris of Milton
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31-year-old Andrew Scott Roach of Bay Minette
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25-year-old Cameron Joel Neely-Dane of Pace
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20-year-old Deevon Keeshawn Henry of Pensacola
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26-year-old Kam’ron Pierre Walker of Fort Walton Beach
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27-year-old Matthew John Short of Pensacola
The men face a total of 27 felony charges ranging from obscene communication to weapons offenses. Sheriff Johnson said Walker and Reinhard showed up with guns.
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“They just go on certain websites, and they get accosted by individuals,” Johnson said. “They have pictures that they put up, and these guys are attracted to underage females, and this is what they do.”
Sheriff Bob Johnson is urging parents to check their child’s phone.
“Please for the love of God check their cell phones and check their accounts because you have people like this that are coming for them,” Johnson said. “Make no mistake about it if that was a 14-year-old girl they were meeting, they were up to no good.”
The sheriff’s office said 11 more suspects are pending charges for various felony offenses relating to their online communications with minors.
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