Rochester Online Child Sex Sting Leads to Four Arrests
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Rochester Police Department is reporting four arrests stemming from a recent online child sex sting.
See Also: Undercover Operation Leads to Charges Against Chatfield Sex Offender
A news release issued by the department on Monday says the undercover operation took place throughout the day on Friday, September 13. The suspects were arrested in multiple locations throughout Rochester.
The undercover operation is similar to one that led to the arrest of a sex offender with a chatfield address last week. He was formally charged the day before the four new arrests.
Four Southeast Minnesota Men Arrested in Rochester, MN Child Sex Sting
The news release says officers posed as minors online and chatted with the suspects.
All four of the suspects were arrested on suspicion of Engaging in, Hiring, or Agreeing to Hire a Minor to Engage in Prostitution.
Rochester Police Department Communications Coordinator Amanda Grayson says the men were taken into custody after agreeing to meet with the person they were chatting with. Police have identified the suspects as:
37-year-old Christian Alexander of Rochester
23-year-old Rojay Smith of Zumbrota
34-year-old Joseph Swain of Rochester
40-year-old Benjamin Leslie of Spring Valley
The Pope County Sheriff’s Office in western Minnesota partnered with Rochester police to conduct the investigation and arrest Leslie, the news release says.
All four of the men are currently being held in the Olmsted County Jail.
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