13 arrested in Eastern WA child sex sting. 3 Tri-Cities agencies helped
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- Washington State Patrol led multi-agency sting arrested 13 suspects in Liberty Lake.
- Detectives posed as minors or guardians and recorded suspects seeking sex with children.
- Charges include attempted child rape, sexual exploitation and communication with minors.
Three Tri-City police agencies played a role a recent Eastern Washington child sex exploitation sting that led to the arrest of 12 men and a woman from Washington and Idaho.
The Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children task force including detectives from Richalnd and Kennewick police and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, helped with the Washington State Patrol-led investigation that centered in a small suburb of Spokane.
As part of the Liberty Lake operation, detectives posed as a 13-year-old girl offering sex or the mother of a 13-year-old and 9-year-old who was offering them for sex, KXLY.com reported.
The suspects were arrested when they showed up to allegedly have sex with the children.
Their charges range from attempted first- and second-degree child rape, communication with a minor for immoral purposes and sexual exploitation of a minor.
The woman arrested allegedly helped her husband set up a meeting the child. She told investigators that this wasn’t the first time he had arranged to rape a child, according to news reports.
The case is similar to the Net Nanny sting in the Tri-Cities in 2017. A total of 26 men were arrested in the multi-agency operation when undercover detectives used various websites to chat with people interested in having sex with children. Four of those men are still awaiting trial.
The Richland-led Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is one three regional organizations that works with the state task force. It includes detectives from Richland and Kennewick police, as well as the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office has been handling the Liberty Lake cases. The Assistant U.S. Attorney also reviewed the cases, but it’s unclear if any of the suspects will also face federal charges.
The suspects arrested are:
• Michael Ferguson, 51, of Spokane
• Michael Lewis, 53, of Fernwood, Idaho
• Ted Whittaker, 54, of Couer d’Alene
• Jennifer Whittaker, 54, of Couer d’Alene
• Rocky Dailey, 63, of Greenacres, Wash.
• Trenton Watkins, 24, of Spokane
• Marco Bosnich, 42, of Spokane
• John Johnson, 37, of Chattaroy, Wash.
• Wesly Georgius, 62, of Couer d’Alene
• Illijah Karasek, 24, of Sandpoint
• Kyle White, 31, of Spokane
• Dylan White, 33, of Rathdrum, Idaho
• Eric Boomer-White, 21, of Spokane
The multi-day operation was led by the Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force, and brought in Homeland Security Investigations along with several other local and federal agencies.
“Our detectives worked tirelessly with our local and federal partners to identify and arrest those who prey on the most vulnerable in our community,” WSP Chief John Batiste said in a release about the operation.
“Protecting children from exploitation is one of the most important responsibilities we have as a law enforcement agency,” Richland police Chief Martin Pilcher said. “These arrests demonstrate the power of collaboration and the dedication of our detectives who work tirelessly to keep our community’s most vulnerable safe.”