Underage-sex sting leads to 18 arrests, two more pending

Twenty people are facing charges after an annual undercover operation where Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives target people looking to have sex with children.

Operation Green Shepherd V, conducted July 27 to Aug. 1, led to the arrest of 18 men with two more arrests pending, according to a news release.

Detectives targeted suspects by going online undercover posing as children and setting up meetings with suspects. The suspects all arrived at the agreed-upon location thinking they were meeting a juvenile for a sexual encounter, according to the reports.

Those arrested and their charges include:

Scott Desimpelaere, 43, of Charlotte County: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Matthew Hilmer, 24, of Collier County: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Anthony Caroccia, 29, of Hillsborough County: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Anthony Osterloh, 23, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Earnest William McCoy, 26, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Derek Hawkins, 26, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Gary Shaw, 52, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex, two counts of transmission of materials harmful to minors.

Jorge Caez, 38, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex, transmission of materials harmful to minors.

Juan Alvarez-Hernandez, 26, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Ronald Humphries, 46, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Stevenson Vassor, 23, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Thomas Gottschalk, 59, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Trevor Allen Mann, 26, of Manatee: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex, use of a computer to solicit a minor for sex and violation of probation for a grand theft conviction.

Jacob Lopez-Hernandez, 28, of Orange County: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Sajid Lugo, 19, of Polk County: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex.

Beau Watson, 27, of Sarasota: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex, use of a computer to solicit a minor for sex.

James Cochran, 47, of Sarasota: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex, four counts of transmission of materials harmful to minors.

James Meyer, 34, of Sarasota: traveling to solicit/seduce/entice a minor for sex, use of a computer to solicit a minor for sex.

Before Green Shepherd V got underway, sheriff’s office detectives assisted the Stoud Area Regional Police Department in Pennsylvania with an investigation that resulted in the arrest of a Bradenton man for similar offenses.

Loren Labrador, 31, was arrested July 18 in Manatee County and charged with 16 counts of sexual offenses that include unlawful contact with a minor and sexual assault. Detectives say Labrador met the victim online when the girl was 14 years old and traveled to Pennsylvania at least three times to meet with the now 16-year-old girl.

On July 26, Labrador was taken from the Manatee County jail to be transported to Pennsylvania to face charges.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Underage-sex sting leads to 18 arrests, two more pending."