More than a dozen men were arrested in a five-day undercover operation to arrest people seeking sex with minors, Volusia County deputies said Monday.
- 14 men arrested in 'Operation Indecent Proposal'
- Men traveled for sex with minors, Volusia detectives say
- Deputies: Men were actually communicating with officers
Sheriff Mike Chitwood called the sting "Operation Indecent Proposal" and released arrest video that shows men being arrested whom they say tried to meet teenage girls and boys for sex but instead were chatting with law enforcement officers.
Several of the men came to a decoy house to meet their victims, while others set up meetings in public spaces, deputies said.
Among the 14 arrested:
- Victor Williams, 40, of Palm Coast, who deputies say is a social services contractor who has worked with children in the past. Investigators are asking anyone with information on his past clients is asked to call the Sheriff's Office's Child Exploitation Unit at 386-323-3574;
- William Parshall, 58, of Jacksonville, whom deputies say is a retired Navy civilian logistics employee who has had multiple contacts with girls. Detectives said he traveled to Daytona Beach to meet someone he thought was a minor and brought toys and condoms.
- Another man who was arrested was driven to the decoy house by his mother, and he brought condoms and an Xbox with him, detectives said.
All 14 face multiple charges that include use of a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child and travel to seduce/solicit/lure a child.
“You see what they are texting: ‘I could go to jail for this.’ So they know what they’re doing is illegal, but they do it anyway," Chitwood said. "They are snapping pictures of their personal area, sending it out. They're bringing sex toys to the party. I mean, this is what is out there,” he said.
Not everyone who communicated with undercover agents drove to meet up, and the Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate those cases. Additional arrests are possible, deputies said.