Ten suspects arrested in sting targeting child sexual predators

JEFFERSON COUNTY, New York (WWNY) - Ten people have been arrested in a law enforcement sting targeting child sexual predators.

State police, the Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, and the FBI conducted a multi-day operation in September.

Troopers say law enforcement posed as children online and arranged to meet the ten suspects at an undisclosed location in Jefferson County.

When the men arrived, they were taken into custody.

State police arrested the following men on felony counts of second-degree attempted rape:

Travis R. Petrey, age 35, from Barbourville, KY
Rene L. St. Pierre, age 54, from Ogdensburg, NY
Michael J. Steria, age 49, from Carthage, NY
Brian T. LaPlatney, age 29, from Harrisville, NY
John W. Brown, age 47, from Chaumont, NY
Aimin Jiang, age 34, from Watertown, NY
David L. Eads, age 51, Brownville, NY

State police said the Army CID arrested three Fort Drum soldiers:

Jonas Santaella, charged with attempted sexual assault of a child and attempted pandering
Devir Walker, charged with attempted sexual assault of a child
Aaron Alonzo Vazquez, charged with attempted sexual assault of a child and pandering

The seven civilian suspects were subsequently prosecuted by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. The Army JAG Corps is handling the cases of the Fort Drum soldiers.

The current status of their cases was not released.

State police say operations like this have led to the discovery of additional victims at the hands of the offenders.

If you or anyone you know is a victim of online enticement, police ask you to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber tip line (877) 474-KIDS, The New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, or The New York State Police Computer Crime Unit in your area https://troopers.ny.gov/internet-crimes-against-children.

State police said they released mugshots of the civilian suspects due to the possibility of more victims coming forward.

The soldiers’ pictures were not released.