Fort Collins, Colorado - Police Arrest 11 In Internet Sex Sting
03/23/07, CBS
Undercover Internet investigations during the past 9 months by police in Fort Collins have resulted in a total of 11 arrests, officers said. Detectives have filed charges against seven of those suspects since the middle of March when two weeks of undercover investigations started.
During the operation, undercover detectives go online and visit various chat rooms, posing as underage boys and girls. Some of their conversations were sexually explicit and in one case the suspect met an undercover detective posing as a juvenile female, according to police. Fort Collins police started the operation after people complained of inappropriate computer e-mails being delivered to a child in the city.
A Fort Collins police detective assumed the online identity of the child and continued conversing with the suspect, Jeffery Bandach, 43. Through e-mail, Bandach arranged to meet the child near her home, police said. He instead met police detectives and was arrested. In January 2007, Bandach pled guilty to Internet sexual exploitation of a child and child abuse and was sentenced to 20 months in jail and 20 years of sex offender probation.
Since that time, Fort Collins police have acquired computer equipment and received specialized training enabling detectives to conduct undercover investigations online. Fort Collins police have also joined the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force which allows access to federal government funding for training and equipment. Several detectives now have undercover identities and regularly conduct online investigations.
"Predators should know that any day of the week the child they believe they are having a sexually explicit conversation with could actually be a police detective in Fort Collins," said Craig Horton, a sergeant in the unit.
Fort Collins police provided the following list of arrests since the investigations began nine months ago.
Jeffery Bandach
D.O.B. 9-24-63
Resident: Fort Collins, CO
Screen name "jimmywil75@aim.com"
Date of offense: June/July 2006
Date and location of arrest: July 17, 2006, Fort Collins, CO
Conviction: Internet sexual exploitation of a child and Child abuse
Stacy Kroner
D.O.B. 10-24-88
Resident: Centennial, CO
Screen name "daman43002002"
Date of offense: October/November 2006
Date and location of arrest: November 13, 2006, Centennial, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts), and Internet luring of a child (2 counts)
Scott Cortelyou
D.O.B. 01-05-54
Resident: Conifer, CO
Screen name "sixcar982000"
Date of offense: August 2006 - January 2007
Date and location of arrest: January 23, 2007, Lakewood, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child and Internet luring of a child
Richard Harl*
D.O.B. 07-17-68
Resident: Aurora, CO
Screen name "rdharl"
Date of offense: October 2006 - January 2007
Date and location of arrest: January 22, 2007, Denver, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (3 counts) and Internet luring of a child (3 counts)
*Registered sex offender
James Leroy Hatton
D.O.B. 07-10-60
Screen name "bigtruckbigred"
Resident: Greeley, CO
Date of offense: October/November 2006
Date and location of arrest: March 6, 2007, Greeley, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts)
Wai Yip Ngai
D.O.B. 02-20-79
Screen name "garyn79"
Resident: Fort Collins, CO
Date of offense: February - March 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 15, 2007, Fort Collins, CO
Charges: Internet luring of a child and attempted sexual assault of a child
Michael Luckey
D.O.B. 9-23-81
Screen name "luck4210"
Resident: Fort Carson, CO
Date of offense: March 15 and 16, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 21, 2007, Fort Carson, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts) and Internet luring of a child (1 count)
Troy Elwood Fanning
D.O.B. 11-21-77
Screen name "tfanman29"
Resident: Loveland, CO
Date of offense: February 23, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 22, 2007, Loveland, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child
Travis Mese
D.O.B. 11-3-83
Screen name "chevyguy42023"
Resident: Fort Morgan, CO
Date of offense: March 14, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 20, 2007, Fort Morgan, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child and Internet luring of a child
Billy Gilmore
D.O.B. 6-25-60
Screen name "jomanjiman"
Resident: Thornton, CO
Date of offense: February 23, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 21, 2007, Thornton, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts) and Internet luring of a child (2 counts)
John Walter Meyer
D.O.B. 8-15-70
Screen name "a111fyg667"
Resident: Thornton, CO
Date of offense: March 13, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 21, 2007, Thornton, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts) and Internet luring of a child (2 counts)
Retrieved March 26, 2007 from http://cbs4denver.com/crime/local_story_082140122.html
Undercover Internet investigations during the past 9 months by police in Fort Collins have resulted in a total of 11 arrests, officers said. Detectives have filed charges against seven of those suspects since the middle of March when two weeks of undercover investigations started.
During the operation, undercover detectives go online and visit various chat rooms, posing as underage boys and girls. Some of their conversations were sexually explicit and in one case the suspect met an undercover detective posing as a juvenile female, according to police. Fort Collins police started the operation after people complained of inappropriate computer e-mails being delivered to a child in the city.
A Fort Collins police detective assumed the online identity of the child and continued conversing with the suspect, Jeffery Bandach, 43. Through e-mail, Bandach arranged to meet the child near her home, police said. He instead met police detectives and was arrested. In January 2007, Bandach pled guilty to Internet sexual exploitation of a child and child abuse and was sentenced to 20 months in jail and 20 years of sex offender probation.
Since that time, Fort Collins police have acquired computer equipment and received specialized training enabling detectives to conduct undercover investigations online. Fort Collins police have also joined the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force which allows access to federal government funding for training and equipment. Several detectives now have undercover identities and regularly conduct online investigations.
"Predators should know that any day of the week the child they believe they are having a sexually explicit conversation with could actually be a police detective in Fort Collins," said Craig Horton, a sergeant in the unit.
Fort Collins police provided the following list of arrests since the investigations began nine months ago.
Jeffery Bandach
D.O.B. 9-24-63
Resident: Fort Collins, CO
Screen name "jimmywil75@aim.com"
Date of offense: June/July 2006
Date and location of arrest: July 17, 2006, Fort Collins, CO
Conviction: Internet sexual exploitation of a child and Child abuse
Stacy Kroner
D.O.B. 10-24-88
Resident: Centennial, CO
Screen name "daman43002002"
Date of offense: October/November 2006
Date and location of arrest: November 13, 2006, Centennial, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts), and Internet luring of a child (2 counts)
Scott Cortelyou
D.O.B. 01-05-54
Resident: Conifer, CO
Screen name "sixcar982000"
Date of offense: August 2006 - January 2007
Date and location of arrest: January 23, 2007, Lakewood, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child and Internet luring of a child
Richard Harl*
D.O.B. 07-17-68
Resident: Aurora, CO
Screen name "rdharl"
Date of offense: October 2006 - January 2007
Date and location of arrest: January 22, 2007, Denver, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (3 counts) and Internet luring of a child (3 counts)
*Registered sex offender
James Leroy Hatton
D.O.B. 07-10-60
Screen name "bigtruckbigred"
Resident: Greeley, CO
Date of offense: October/November 2006
Date and location of arrest: March 6, 2007, Greeley, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts)
Wai Yip Ngai
D.O.B. 02-20-79
Screen name "garyn79"
Resident: Fort Collins, CO
Date of offense: February - March 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 15, 2007, Fort Collins, CO
Charges: Internet luring of a child and attempted sexual assault of a child
Michael Luckey
D.O.B. 9-23-81
Screen name "luck4210"
Resident: Fort Carson, CO
Date of offense: March 15 and 16, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 21, 2007, Fort Carson, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts) and Internet luring of a child (1 count)
Troy Elwood Fanning
D.O.B. 11-21-77
Screen name "tfanman29"
Resident: Loveland, CO
Date of offense: February 23, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 22, 2007, Loveland, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child
Travis Mese
D.O.B. 11-3-83
Screen name "chevyguy42023"
Resident: Fort Morgan, CO
Date of offense: March 14, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 20, 2007, Fort Morgan, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child and Internet luring of a child
Billy Gilmore
D.O.B. 6-25-60
Screen name "jomanjiman"
Resident: Thornton, CO
Date of offense: February 23, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 21, 2007, Thornton, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts) and Internet luring of a child (2 counts)
John Walter Meyer
D.O.B. 8-15-70
Screen name "a111fyg667"
Resident: Thornton, CO
Date of offense: March 13, 2007
Date and location of arrest: March 21, 2007, Thornton, CO
Charges: Internet sexual exploitation of a child (2 counts) and Internet luring of a child (2 counts)
Retrieved March 26, 2007 from http://cbs4denver.com/crime/local_story_082140122.html