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Authorities in Northwest Florida have arrested a dozen men in an alleged child predator sting.
The operation, dubbed "Operation Wolves Blanket" was led by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other local police departments.
The sheriff’s office conducted the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) operation to target those seeking out children for sexual activity.
"Our goal was to identify child predators and get them out of our communities," Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement. "There is no shortage of these individuals preying on our youth; we must all be vigilant."
The operation, conducted from January 26 through January 30, involved investigators acting undercover as minors to identify people online who try to solicit minors under the age of 14. The sheriff’s office said the undercover officers communicated with the suspects online.
The suspects’ ages range from 18 to 48 and traveled from as far as Mississippi to a location where they were ultimately arrested.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspects as follows: Tananan Wanna, 41, Eric Dotlich, 42, Dakota Davis, 22, Cody Hamm, 27, Carter Gile, 25, Joshua Ward, 18, Christian Coon, 22, Warwick Marsh, 26, Hassani Brown, 19, and Allen Morrow, 48 – all of whom are from Florida.
Suspects from out of state included Hazzie Carter, 39, of Mississippi, and David Chocojay, 34, of Alabama.
Each of these individuals has been charged with second and third-degree felonies. Their potential prison sentences range from five to 15 years behind bars if found guilty and up to 25 years based on some sentencing guidelines.
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Fox News has reached out to the sheriff’s office seeking more details on the operation and will update this story accordingly.
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