- April 19, 2024
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Volusia County Sheriff's Office arrested seven men who believed they were meeting underaged teenagers for sex in its latest undercover sting targeting internet predators.
The four-day sting, dubbed "Operation Unlawful Attraction," consisted of detectives speaking to over 50 individuals through various popular social media platforms. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said during a press conference on Mondau, Oct. 15, that of those 50, seven took the initiative to meet the undercover detectives — whom they thought were teenagers — in parking lots and gas stations throughout the county. The operation began on Wednesday, Oct. 10 and concluded at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14
“As many times as we do this, it’s like a moth to a flame," Chitwood said. "You got these scumbags that think they’re going to have sex with a 14 or 15-year-old, and some of them, upon their arrests, did tell the detectives that they had sex with other young people before getting nabbed.”
The sheriff said one of the seven men arrested, 43-year-old George Wallace, of South Daytona, had previously unknowingly spoken to undercover detectives during an internet predator sting two years ago. However, Wallace, who works as a senior caregiver with a Port Orange company, did not show up to the Ormond Beach house where the sting happened. At the time of Wallace's arrest, Chitwood said Wallace bragged about having sex with a 15-year-old in the past.
James Bowen, a barber from Gainesville, was also arrested during the operation. He showed up to the sting claiming that he knew it was a setup but that he wanted to see the event play out. Bowen wore a shirt reading "I would cuddle you so much harder" during his arrest.
“It just never ceases to boggle the mind that you got these predators out there that are looking to destroy some young person’s childhood," Chitwood said. "They’re looking to steal their innocence away, and we’re not going to let it happen.”
None of the men arrested were registered sex offenders, nor did they have extensive criminal histories, Chitwood said. They also weren't in possession of duct tape, drugs, ski masks or other paraphernalia at the time of their arrests, which Chitwood said they have found on others during previous internet predator stings.
All men have been charged with attempted lewd and lascivious batter, use of two-way communication device to commit a felony, as well as the use of a computer and traveling to seduce, solicit or lure a child. In Volusia County, they could face anywhere from two to five years in jail.
"The sad part is sex crimes are the most underreported crimes there are," Chitwood said. "Everybody reports their car stolen. Not everybody reports if they’re a victim of a sex crime. It just doesn’t happen.”
