Internet predators sentenced 12 years
Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008
GENTRY ó Two of the men arrested in the police departmentís Internet sexualpredator sting were sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Santigo Gaston, 33, of Texarkana, Texas, and Gary Don Wood, 44, of Oklahoma City, Okla., pled guilty Thursday to Internet stalking of a child, a class B felony. They pled guilty under an arrangement Chief Public Defender Jay Saxton reached with Deputy Prosecutor Mike Armstrong.
Gentry police set up at a home Dec. 14-16, 2007, as part of Operation Safe Net, in which the department teamed with Perverted Justice to apprehend possible Internet sexual predators. Perverted Justice, an organization that uses volunteers who go online to catch adults trying to engage minors in sexual conduct, assisted police with the operation.
When men went to the home to meet the child, they were met by police instead.
Gaston and Wood were two of seven men arrested in the Gentry sting.
Circuit Judge David Clinger accepted the plea agreements and the menís guilty pleas.
Gaston and Wood must also enroll in and complete the prisonís sex-offender treatment program, and they will be required to register as sex offenders. Gaston and Wood must also each pay $ 2, 120 in court-associated costs.
Gaston and Wood were ordered not to have any unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 except for their biological children. The men were also ordered not to visit any online social networks.
James Brock Lyons II of Fort Smith and Jackie Ray Beasley of Fayetteville were also arrested in the sting. They have pled guilty to their charges and were sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Michael Scott Dickison of Springfield, Mo.; Freddie Ray Morgano, 36, of Muskogee, Okla.; and Reza Jafari of Stillwater, Okla., were also charged with Internet stalking of a child in connection with their arrests in the sting. Their cases have not yet been resolved.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online