JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - A two-day undercover operation by Tennessee authorities led to the arrest of eight men accused of seeking sex from minors.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations announced the arrest of eight men as a result of a joint human trafficking investigation with Johnson City police, news outlets reported.
Investigators created decoy advertisements targeting individuals looking to commit sexual acts with minors and uploaded them on websites connected to prostitution and commercial sex.
Todd Prewitt, 46; Joseph Cunningham, 22; Stephen Ezeagu, 29; Malik Howse, 22; Ronald Casdorph, 52; John Hutchison, 65; Jared Curtis, 25; and Joseph Harless, 19, were arrested last week and charged with trafficking a person for a commercial sex act. All the men are from or near the Johnson City area, the TBI said.
It’s unclear whether any of the men have attorneys who could comment on their behalf.
The TBI said part of the operation focused on identifying victims of sex trafficking. Four adult women were cited and offered services such as housing and counseling through a program of the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
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