Lee County Sheriff: 17 people arrested for alleged online advertising and prostitution of minors

LEE COUNTY, Alabama (WRBL) – An undercover operation involving the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Opelika Police Department, Lee County District Attorney’s Office and Covenant Rescue Group resulted in the arrest of 17 suspected child molesters who allegedly lurked on the Internet and attempted to arrange sexual encounters with a child.

During the operation, undercover agents chatted with 249 people online and arrested 17 people who investigators said were on their way to meet a woman they believed to be 15 years old at a Lee County motel.

WRBL found 16 arrest records related to the suspects. On July 20, 2024, the following people were arrested on charges of solicitation of children via computer: Deontavian Zavarious Woody (age 32), Sung Hoon Lee (age 29), Ronnie L. Johnson (age 51), Michael Dylan Johnson (age 23), Luis Alonso Antonio Contreras (age 31), Jordan Isaiah Paradise (age 25), Daniel Christopher Kendrick (age 41), Alfonzo Gomez Guzman (age 27), Mario Kantrell Carter (age 32) and Carl Bellamy (age 26).

Previously, on July 18, 2024, Wesley Lamar Thomas (33) and Quinton Devaughn Henderson (23) were arrested on suspicion of prostitution with a minor.

The following day, July 19, 2024, Jacinto Garcia Perez (45 years old), Stephen Michael Jones (39 years old), Deangelo Bernard Farrow (27 years old) and James Christopher Barrett (44 years old) were arrested, all on charges of prostitution with minors.

We are awaiting a mug shot of Willie James Harris, 31, who was arrested for allegedly traveling to meet minors, electronic solicitation of minors and promoting prostitution of minors. Investigators say each defendant must be held on a minimum of $110,000.00 bail, with some already released on bail.

Covenant Rescue Group is a nonprofit organization that partners with law enforcement agencies to provide the resources and training needed to conduct successful anti-human trafficking operations, including undercover operations to combat child exploitation and rescue operations that specifically disrupt trafficking rings, resulting in arrests and prosecutions.

Investigators told WRBL that this undercover operation is intended to remind parents and community members of the importance of talking to their children about online predators, monitoring internet usage and reporting any suspicious activity to the ICAC (Internet Crime Against Children) Task Force.

ICAC is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing more than 5,400 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies dedicated to investigating, prosecuting and developing effective responses to cybercrime against children.

According to ICAC, reports of online lure increased by more than 300% from 2021 to 2023.

Every child has the right to a safe childhood. If you suspect child sexual exploitation, please report it at Report.CyberTip.org or call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

NCMEC.org/cybertiplinedata