Twelve men arrested for attempting to lure children for sex

Historic City News attended a press conference called by the St Johns County Sheriff’s Office and cooperating agencies who participated in a recent 7-day dragnet that identified a dozen men who attempted to lure children they believed were between 10 and 15-years-old to meet them for sex.

“Operation End of the Road” was the third time in the past five years that an undercover operation utilized the Internet to locate and identify persons who go online to sexually exploit children.

“The operation involved undercover detectives posing as juvenile boys and girls visiting various websites and private chat rooms. Officers were sometimes engaged in private message exchanges with these men that lasted for hours,” St Johns County Sheriff David B. Shoar told reporters in attendance.

For seven-days between March 30 and April 6th, twelve men made plans and traveled to an undisclosed location where they thought they would meet the child they had been chatting with on the Internet. Once they arrived at the location, they were taken into custody by arrest teams.

Seven of those arrested were from St Johns County, while the remainder traveled from Volusia, Duval, Alachua, and Flagler Counties in Florida and one from Glynn County, Georgia. The men have are all facing felony charges and range in age from 21-years-old to 60-years-old.

Multiple agencies participated in the operation under the auspices of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

Those agencies included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Office of the State Attorney – Seventh Judicial Circuit, the Sheriff’s Offices of St Johns, Volusia, Clay, Alachua, and Nassau Counties, as well as Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Police Departments of St Augustine, Orange Park and Gainesville.

Those arrested, their charges and bonds are:

Adam Tucker Driggers, 31, 79 Farragut Dr., Palm Coast (Unemployed)
Ct. 1: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Utilizing a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Released after posting $25,000 bond.

James Willard Goodwin, 60, 3150 Pacetti Rd. (Disabled)
Ct. 1: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Use a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Bonds totaling $30,000

Matthew Bryan Caniff, 32, 3830 S.E. 18th Ave., Gainesville (Pharmacy Tech)
Ct. 1: Use a computer to solicit, seduce, or lure a child for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 3: Promoting Sexual Performance of a child (F)
Ct. 4: Utilize a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Ct. 5: Possession of a controlled substance without a prescription (F)
Released after posting $58,000 bond

Charles Arthur Thompson, 35, 2895 Hilltop Rd., #4 (Stock Clerk)
Ct. 1: Use computer to solicit, seduce, or lure a child for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 3: Utilize a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Bonds totaling $100,000

Kevin Michael Philippi, 615 Fairway Dr., Apt: 208 (Framer)
Ct. 1: Use computer to solicit, seduce, or lure a child for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 3: Utilize a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Bonds totaling $75,000

David Lawrence Kausch III, 25, 2810 C.R. 214 (Cook)
Ct. 1: Use computer to solicit, or lure a child for sex (2 counts) (F)
Ct. 2: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 3: Utilize a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Bonds totaling $55,000

Lee Mark Davis, 22, 8137 Wendover Rd. (Security Engineer)
Ct. 1: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Utilize a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Released after posting $150,000 bond

Oscar A Cabrera-Adames, 21, 208 Arnold Rd, Daytona Beach (Student)
Ct. 1: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Use a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Released after posting $30,000 bond

Travon C White-Thomas, 22, 1385 Brookwood First Bv, #712 (Sailor)
Ct. 1: Use a computer to solicit, seduce, or lure a child for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 3: Use a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Released after posting $55,000 bond

Corey Richard Sinnott, 31, 335 Lake Shore Dr. (Deli Prep)
Ct. 1: Use computer to solicit, seduce, or lure a child for sex (F)
Ct. 2: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 3: Use a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Bonds totaling $75,000

Keaton Richard Cernin, 25, 320 Summercove Cr. (Lawn Maintenance)
Ct. 1: Use computer to solicit, or lure a child for sex (3 counts)(F)
Ct. 2: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 3: Transmitting info harmful to minors (F)
Ct. 4: Use a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Bonds totaling $110,000

Jeremy L Hughes, 41, 132 Frederick Dr, Brunswick (Uber Driver)
Ct. 1: Use computer to solicit, or lure a child for sex (2 counts)(F)
Ct. 2: Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F)
Ct. 3: Use a two way device to facilitate a felony (F)
Bonds totaling $80,000

Photo credits: © 2016 Historic City News staff photographer