A Shawano man who allegedly believed he was meeting a 15-year-old boy for sex was arrested Saturday as part of an Internet sting.
Richard E. Denty, 34, was charged in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court on Monday with a felony count of using a computer to facilitate a sex crime. He could face a maximum 40 years in prison and $100,000 fine if found guilty.
Denty was one of 16 people in six northeast Wisconsin counties taken into custody as a result of a Operation Black Veil II.
The operation originated with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force and involved undercover investigators working with local law enforcement to make online contact with suspected offenders.
In March, another Shawano man — Jeffery D. Vadnais-Speck, 27, — was one of 17 arrested statewide as a result of the first Operation Black Veil. He faces the same charg eas Denty and is due in court for a pre-trial conference Nov. 21.
As in the case against Vadnais-Speck, Denty came to the attention of authorities after posting ads on Craigslist seeking a “casual encounter.”
He was contacted online by an ICAC investigator posing as a 15-year-old boy and a meeting was arranged Saturday night in the parking lot of the Crawford Center in Shawano.
Shawano County sheriff’s deputies staked out the rendezvous spot while a Shawano police officer posed as the 15-year-old. Denty was taken into custody when he arrived.
According to the criminal complaint, Denty had a pair of handcuffs and a lubricant in his pockets when he was arrested.
Denty told authorities he set up the meeting with the intention of discouraging the boy from meeting strangers for sex.
Denty was freed on a $15,000 signature bond after his initial court appearance Monday before Judge James Habeck.
The district attorney’s office had requested a cash bond.
Denty is due back in court for an adjourned initial appearance Monday. While out on bond, Denty is prohibited from any private contact with anyone under the age of 18 and was also prohibited from living at his current address, according to court records.
Shawano County Sheriff’s Capt. Tom Tuma said Operation Black Veil and other efforts targeting suspected sex offenders would continue.
“We continue to be proactive in multiple arenas to identify those who would victimize children,” he said.
Authorities had between 1,200 and 1,500 Internet chats with possible suspects during the Black Veil investigation that ran from Wednesday to Saturday.
In addition to Denty, eight men were arrested in Brown County, four in Marathon County, and others were taken into custody in Winnebago, Outagamie and Door counties.
Categories
