A large multi-agency sting operation targeting online child predators in Northwest Florida has resulted in the arrest of thirteen people on serious charges.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) oversaw Operation Twelve Parsecs, a five-day undercover operation aimed at identifying people attempting to engage in sexually explicit communications with minors, transmit child sexual abuse material, or arrange to meet minors for sexual activities.
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FDLE collaborated with the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Agriculture, Homeland Security Investigations, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, United States Marshals Service, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, Gulf Breeze Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and Lake City Police Department.
The operation resulted in the following arrests and charges:
1. Nicholas Beech, 27, of Eight Mile, Ala.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony; transmission of harmful material to a minor
2. Marshall Blansett, 39, of Pensacola, Fla.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony; transmission of harmful material to a minor
3. Duran Brown, 18, of Pensacola, Fla.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
4. Royce Cromer, 39, of Pensacola, Fla.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
5. Micah Costner, 18, of Gulf Shores, Ala.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
6. Christopher Glover, 47, of Grand Bay, Ala.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony; transmission of harmful material to a minor; resisting arrest without violence
7. David Girard, 70, of Robertsdale, Ala.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
8. Noah Kimmons, 19, of Pensacola, Fla.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
9. William Pierce, 52, of Pensacola, Fla.
- Charges: Transmission of harmful material to a minor; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony; promoting the sexual performance by a child
10. Robby Robertson, 47, of Pensacola, Fla.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
11. Ricardo Del Rosario, 38, of Pensacola, Fla.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
12. Ranger Shindle, 19, of Crestview, Fla.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony; transmission of harmful material to a minor
13. Chad Wren, 56, of Pensacola, Fla.
- Charges: Seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct; travel to meet a minor for sexual activity; use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
The State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit will prosecute the cases. The FDLE stated that the investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests are possible.
In a parallel project, FDLE and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office carried out a three-day enforcement operation to check the residential addresses of registered sexual offenders and predators. During that endeavor, investigators contacted 130 registrants.
The FDLE underscored its ongoing commitment to protecting children through proactive enforcement and coordination with local, state, and federal partners to combat online exploitation.
