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Jeffco DA nets record 68 Internet child sex predators

By Marilyn Robinson, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 28, 2007 at 4:14 p.m.
Updated December 28, 2007 at 4:14 p.m.

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By Marilyn Robinson

SPECIAL TO THE ROCKY

A special unit of the Jefferson County district attorney's office has arrested a record 68 people this year on charges of seeking out children online for sex.

"What we have accomplished is phenomenal," DA's investigator Mike Harris said. "With more resources, it would be astronomical."

Harris has been working to nab Internet predators targeting children since 1996. He said his unit was the first in Colorado and one of the first in the United States. It's been responsible for 213 arrests since then — 128 since Scott Storey became DA in 2005.

Most of those arrested pleaded guilty. Only three cases have gone to trial, Harris said.

Those arrested this year ranged in age from 19 to 73.

Among them were a college professor, an elementary school teacher, a radio talk show personality and two officers from the State Department of Corrections.

There also was a man who sold an undercover officer 500 images of child pornography, one who had over 300,000 images of boys under 18 and one who was declared a sexually violent predator.

And there was a man from England, who was luring a 15-year-old Jefferson County girl on the Internet. He bought her a ticket to fly to England. That's when investigators learned what was going on. They persuaded the man to fly to the United States, and he was arrested in Jefferson County. He got a two-year sentence, Harris said.

Harris, with occasional help from other investigators, usually poses as a young girl and goes to chatrooms to find predators.

"These people come from all walks of life," said Harris. "Anybody who can access a computer - whether they're rich or poor — and who has a desire to lure a child can do so very easily witihout being detected. There's just not enough Internet policing."

This year, the unit also started going into Spanish-language chatrooms, resulting in four arrests.

"Children in Hispanic chatrooms are just as vulnerable as any other children," Harris said.

It's not an 8 to 5 job, Harris said. He often finds himself working evenings, weekends and holidays — times when kids would be out of school.

The unit — formally known as the Child Sex Offender Internet Investigations Unit — also takes a pro-active approach and gave 115 talks on Internet safety this year to school and adult groups.

One presentation was to students and parents at the Rocky Mountain Deaf Institute. Deaf children use computers to communicate and are just as vulnerable as other children, Harris said.

The Jeffco DA's unit isn't the only one in Colorado dealing with Internet predators. The Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force includes 30 agencies For the first 11 months of the year, it reported 76 arrests.

Comments

  • December 28, 2007

    4:52 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Scott writes:

    After this garbage has been convicted, put them in prison with "SEXUAL PREDATOR" stenciled on their backs. Let the common crooks take care of this garbage.

    Scott

  • December 28, 2007

    8:44 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    fortyfive writes:

    to the Q......dont forget to include yourself