Palm Coast, FL - A Palm Coast man was arrested as part of a five-day internet sex sting operation which put a total of 17 people behind bars.
28-year-old Carlos Joaquin Rodriguez, of Bickford Dr. in Palm Coast, was arrested on July 30 as part of the investigation called "Operation Cruel Summer," led by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (SJCSO). The sting involved undercover detectives posing as children online to arrange for unknown suspects to meet with them at an undisclosed location in the eastern part St. Johns County. The SJCSO released the information on social media on Friday.
Rodriguez, in addition to the 16 others, traveled to the undisclosed location in an attempt to solicit children, according to police. Once he arrived at the location, he was taken into custody by the arrest teams.
Rodriguez faces one count of using a computer to solicit, seduce, or lure a child for sex; one count traveling to meet a minor for sex; one count transmitting information harmful to minors; and one count unlawful use of a two-way communication device. All counts are felonies, and Rodriguez was released after posting a $45,000 bond.
Of the other suspects arrested, eight were from Duval County, five were from St. Johns County, and the others traveled from Clay County, Richmond, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina. The ages of the suspects range from 19 to 60-years-old.
For more information on the investigation and pictures of the suspects, click
here.
(Rodriguez's mugshot courtesy St. Johns County Sheriff's Office)
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
