Eight more arrested in second child solicitation sting in months

Just four months after police arrested 10 people in a widely publicized child solicitation sting, eight more men traveled to an undisclosed location in Franklin to meet who they thought was a child under the age of 14 for sex.

Over the course of three days, more than 35 officers from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin Police Department, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Martinsville Police Department and the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office conducted a joint child solicitation operation, this one dubbed Operation Guardian. It was similar to the child solicitation sting in December, officials said.

Two of the eight men arrested are local. Greenwood resident Christopher L. McClain, 35, and Franklin resident John D. Fenes, 34, were both arrested on child solicitation charges. Fenes was also arrested on a charge of providing pornographic material to a minor.

The fact that some of the men physically traveled to a location to meet up with a minor heightened the level of the charges to a Level 4 felony. Some traveled as far as 50 miles.

Patrick McGough, 46, of Zionsville; Jesus Martinez, 28, of Pendleton; Kevin Hatchett, 60, of Nashville; Deekshith Reddy Deva, 27, of Indianapolis; and Danny J. Harris, 48, of Bloomington were all arrested on a child solicitation charges.

Hatchett was arrested on two counts — one a Level 4 and one a Level 5.

Harris was also arrested on charges of providing pornographic material to a minor and methamphetamine possession.

Richard Gamman, 24, of Indianapolis, was arrested on charges of meth dealing, a Level 2 felony, resisting law enforcement and driving while suspended with a prior conviction. He is held on a $32,000 bond.

Gamman offered to deliver 7 grams of meth during a conversation with a detective who was posing as a child, said Maj. Damian Katt, investigations division commander at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

"Although we believe Gamman may have been interested in having sex, it did not appear to be his primary focus," Katt said.

Detectives posed online as a child. During chat room conversations, the suspects solicited sex and arranged to meet with a detective they thought was the underage child at an undisclosed location. The men were among many waiting in online chat rooms to prey on children, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office news release.

The men ignored warnings from other individuals in the chat rooms that officers frequently posed as children, the news release said.

When the suspects arrived at the agreed-upon location to meet with the undercover detectives, they were arrested and taken to the Johnson County jail.

"These arrests were a team effort by all agencies involved and were the result of several days of hard work and cooperation by detectives committed to locking up these types of predators," the news release said.

Most could face up to 12 years in prison, with a six-year advisory sentence, and could be ordered to pay up to a $10,000 fine. The two with pornography charges could face an additional 2.5 years. Gamman could face up to 30 years, with a 17.5-year advisory sentence.

Most have already bonded out. Once charges are filed and their cases are assigned to a court, they will receive a summons to appear or they will be arrested on a warrant.

All arrests will be reviewed by the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office, and charges are expected to be filed as early as Monday, once prosecutors get probable cause affidavits from the detectives, prosecutor Joe Villanueva said.

"Law enforcement cannot eliminate this problem alone. Parents and guardians need to have an active role in their children’s lives to ensure they are aware of what they are doing on the internet. Parents should keep an eye on what sites their children are visiting and who they are talking to in chats, games and social media," the news release said.

"This is an ongoing situation where children are regularly being targeted and seduced by predators to engage in sexual conduct. Please speak to your children about this issue and help eliminate these threats."

See Saturday’s Daily Journal for more.