ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — There are new developments involving the case of a U.S. Marine who has been arrested in connection with a sexual exploitation case in Arapahoe County.
Detectives say the case came to their attention after an 8th-grade counselor at a middle school in Aurora reported the alleged incidents that started in January. A second person has also been arrested for allegedly attempting to commit sex crimes against some of the same middle school kids.
19-year-old Marine extradited to Colorado, suspected of sexual exploitation of childrenArapahoe County investigators say they believe there are other victims because of the types of arrests that have been made of two different men involving the same groups of kids.
The first arrest involved U.S. Marine Justin Ryder Simmons. Simmons is accused of trying to entice children online in exchange for vapes.
Justin Ryder Simmons, 19, was taken into San Diego County Sheriff's Office custody on June 16, and is facing two counts of sexual exploitation of a child - induce/entice, one count of sexual exploitation of a child - possession of child sexual abuse material, and two counts of internet sexual exploitation of a child. (Courtesy the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office)But Arapahoe County Investigators say Simmons never traveled to Colorado from Camp Pendleton in California, where he was arrested. Investigators now say two different men were targeting the same group of kids through a social media app.
“One of the individuals was contacting juveniles and attempting to exchange sexual favors for vapes, alcohol, marijuana, things that they don't, that they can't access because they're because they're juveniles,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Internet Crimes Against Children investigator Jamie Wright said.
In court records involving Simmons, investigators wrote, “The male did share nude pictures.”
Court records also mentioned a video that shows “Justin in his army fatigues sitting on a toilet in a bathroom stall. His pants are down.”
Investigators say another man, Holland Langhorn-Padilla, has also been arrested for exploiting the same children and is facing several charges.
Detectives say the cases are not connected. They believe there are more victims.
18-year-old arrested for alleged sexual assault on a child at Englewood water parkDenver psychologist Sheryl Ziegler, author of the book The Crucial Years, says it’s important to have ongoing conversations with kids about online dangers.
“What you want to do is have conversations that are frequent, and they are pretty short, but they are often. They are ongoing conversations, just like social media screens and technology are a daily part of kids’ lives. These are the types of conversations you want to have with your kids fairly frequently,” Ziegler said.
FOX31 is told teens also find ways to break through parental blocks on cell phones.
“One of the biggest things is to say they are not teens. There are no fail-safe ways for a technology company to verify somebody’s age,” said MSU Department Chair and Professor of Journalism Chris Jennings.
Ziegler says a chapter in her book is dedicated to keeping kids ages 6 through 12 safe online.
Investigators continue to ask anyone who believes they have more information about the victims involved in this enticing case to call the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators say the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a website that has resources for parents trying to keep kids safe online.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Two men arrested for allegedly sexually enticing children in exchange for vapes )
Also on site :