Four Men Arrested in Genesee County Child Exploitation Sting

GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. — The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with former “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen, arrested four men last week in a sting operation targeting individuals attempting to meet minors for exploitation. The operation, conducted by the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (GHOST), involved undercover officers posing as minors online.

Sheriff Chris Swanson and Hansen announced the arrests during a Facebook livestream, detailing how the suspects were lured to an undisclosed location in Genesee County. “That’s why we do these proactive operations,” Swanson said. “If it wasn’t GHOST on the other side of the door, it would have been a real victim.”

None of the arrested men were from Genesee County. Two were identified as undocumented immigrants from Honduras, while the others hailed from Utica and Lapeer, Michigan. One suspect, a 25-year-old student, allegedly engaged in explicit conversations with the decoy, detailing his intentions. “He was deliberate and specific,” Swanson said. “He went into great detail about what the interactions would be.”

Hansen, known for his work on NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” described the operation as premeditated. “We saw the man show up to the location nearby, the home, and go into a grocery store parking lot,” Hansen said. “He drove around multiple times surveilling the house, chatting with the decoy, and finally showed up after he thought the coast was clear.”

Authorities revealed that two of the men have spouses and children, including one whose wife is a teacher and recently gave birth. The suspects were reportedly unaware they were communicating with law enforcement until their arrests. “He was unprepared for it,” Hansen said of one suspect. “He thought he did all his surveillance. He thought he asked the right questions.”

Swanson emphasized the importance of such operations in preventing real-world harm. “It doesn’t just impact underaged kids,” he said. “It impacts anyone who is vulnerable.” Hansen urged parents to educate their children about online safety. “You have to make them comfortable so they can come to you and say, ‘Look, this happened. It made me nervous. It made me anxious,'” he said.

The operation also identified other individuals who communicated with decoys but chose not to meet in person. Hansen predicted some of these individuals might resurface in future investigations. Names of the arrested men have not been released pending arraignment.

Residents outside Genesee County were encouraged to contact local law enforcement or the Sheriff’s Office for assistance with similar cases. The GHOST task force continues to work on combating human trafficking and child exploitation in the region.