Grant County- Seven men were arrested in Grant County over the course of several days as part of an operation identifying individuals allegedly involved in the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. This multi-day operation involved the Washington State Patrol (WSP), local Grant County law enforcement agencies and several partner agencies. These cases will be reviewed by the Grant County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to determine whether or what criminal charges should be filed. Grant County Prosecutor Kevin McCrae stated, “The Grant County Prosecutor’s Office was proud to partner with various State, Federal and local Grant County law enforcement agencies in the first post-Covid Net Nanny Operation in the State. These law enforcement agencies are sending a clear message that the exploitation and abuse of children will not be tolerated. This is a message we proudly support. Individuals who abuse and steal the innocence of children, in person or online, are some of the most heinous and despicable crimes we deal with. The Grant County Prosecutor’s Office will continue to support these operations to ensure the safety of children in our community.”
Dubbed “Operation Net Nanny,” this is the 19th operation spearheaded by the WSP’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force (MECTF), an Internet Crimes Against Children affiliate. Since the original operation in August of 2015, MECTF has netted a total of 301 arrests and rescued more than 31 children across the state.
MECTF’s primary mission during this operation is to proactively target those persons involved in child abuse and child exploitation via the internet. “While the internet is a powerful tool for us all, criminals using it to target our communities’ necessitates a need for this type of proactive investigations by our law enforcement troopers and partners in order to combat these horrible crimes,” says WSP Chief John R. Batiste. “This operation is aimed at protecting our vulnerable children and making our communities safer.”
Primary crimes investigated are:
RCW 9A.44.076 – Rape of a child in the second degree – attempt
RCW 9.68A.090 – Communication with a minor for immoral purposes
RCW 9.68A.040 – Sexual Exploitation of a minor
The names of the individuals arrested during the operation are:
· Abraham Calderon, 19, Moses Lake
· Omar Ivan Macinas-Garza, 39, Grandview
· Fulgencio Ramos, 21, Quincy
· Robert Jefffrey Bancroft, 20, Marysville
· Joshua Kenneth Leonard, 44, Omak
· Jerardo Ramon Reyes, 29, Moses Lake
· Mason Pilling, 27, Moses Lake
Anyone with information related to the suspects listed, or information leading to the identity of victims potentially involved in these cases please contact MECTF at [email protected].
The collaborative effort involving more than 80 dedicated law enforcement officers, agents, and staff led to the success of this operation. Those agencies involved include:
o Grant County Prosecutor’s Office
o Homeland Security Investigations
o Moses Lake Police Department
o Grant County Sheriff’s Office
o Othello Police Department
o Grant County Tactical Response Team
o Inter Narcotics Enforcement Team
o Washington State Patrol
o Quincy Police Department
o Tacoma Police Department
o Federal Bureau of Investigation
o Kennewick Police Department
o Spokane Police Department