OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. – Seven men have been arrested for allegedly seeking minors online for sex, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) has announced.
According to the OCSO, during the month of April, members of the agency’s Special Investigations Section conducted an undercover operation targeting adults looking to meet minors online for sexual encounters.
“Operation April’s Fools” is part of an ongoing OCSO effort to protect children from predators looking to do them harm, said the OCSO.
The suspects in the operation allegedly traveled to a predetermined location with the intention of meeting the juveniles but instead were taken into custody by OCSO deputies, the OCSO said.
In addition to these arrests, investigators seized a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado truck.
According to the OCSO, it arrested Thomas Cole, Dominic Boddie, Shane Donaldson, Joshua Rouege, David Lanier, Jose Nolasco-Benitez, and Jeffrey Pakusch. Each is charged with traveling to meet a minor for sex, use of a computer to solicit a minor for sex, and use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
Donaldson faces an additional charge of promoting sexual performance by a child.
