(KRON) — Five men traveled to Walnut Creek believing they were going to meet a child to engage in unlawful sex, police said. The “child” who the five men separately met online was, in fact, an undercover investigator.
“They came to meet a child. They met Walnut Creek PD instead,” the police department wrote in a social media post Wednesday.
For the sting operation, the Walnut Creek Police Department and Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force targeted adults who use social media to target children for sexual exploitation.
The arrested suspects were identified by WCPD as:
- Andrew Garcia, 32, of Concord
- Billie Ray Breland, 29, of Antioch
- Rudolf Naused Robl, 42, visiting from Germany
- Jacek Markiewicz, 67, of Walnut Creek
- Taesu Park, 36, of Marin County
All five men are now facing charges including: attempted lewd acts with a minor, contacting a minor to commit a sex offense, and arranging to meet a minor for sex. Markiewicz is also facing attempted kidnapping charges.
Prostitutes, bribes, fake jobs at center of Sheng Thao scandal
Police said the ICAC Task Force exists to “identify predators before a real child is harmed, combining investigations, training, and victim support across our region.”…