Mar 14, 2007 3:22 pm US/Mountain

A Dozen Child Sex Predators Captured In SLC Area


(KUTV) SALT LAKE CITY - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, over a two-day period, arrested a dozen sex predators living in the Salt Lake City area – including a Central American man who abused five young girls between the ages of three and nine.

Authorities arrested the sex offenders as part of Operation Predator, a program aimed to capture those who prey on children. 11 were captured on Tuesday and one was arrested Wednesday, ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley told KUTV.com.

Since Operation Predator began in 2003, it has lead to the arrests of nearly 10,000 child sex offenders – 50 of which were apprehended in Utah.

“These dangerous pedophiles pose a serious threat to the well-being of our children, our families and our communities,” said Kurt Fitz-Randolph, of the ICE Investigations office in Utah.

Agents say those arrested in Utah are natives of Mexico, Germany, Sudan, Croatia, Samoa, Guatemala and the Congo. All are now in the process of being deported.

Experts estimate that approximately 1-in-5 girls and 1-in-10 boys in the United States are sexually exploited before they reach adulthood.

“We are working closely with our local and federal law enforcement partners to identify, arrest and remove those who prey on children here in Utah,” Fitz-Randolph said.


http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_073170432.html