By Kristen Drew KOMO 4 News
CLICK TO PLAY KOMO 4 NEWS video, above. KOMO PHOTO: Suspects facing charges appear before a judge in a Kitsap County court.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Peninsula Daily News is a news partner with KOMO 4 News (TV and radio) in Seattle.
BREMERTON — Detectives with the Washington State Patrol Missing and Exploited Child Task Force arrested nine people [ — two of them from Port Angeles — ] in an undercover operation in Kitsap County that involved sexual exploitation of children.
During “Operation Net Nanny”, which began on August 24th, undercover detectives communicated with suspects through online ads and social media to arrange meetings. In some cases, the suspects offered cash and video games for sex with girls who they believed were just 7 and 11 years old.
“I do feel that this is one of the most despicable crimes you could do. It’s harming a child,” said Det. Sgt. Carlos Rodriguez of the WSP Missing and Exploited Children Task Force.
“What worries me is there are other people out there that are much more careful than the ones we came into contact with. That’s what’s scary.”
The suspects, who range in ages between 21 and 66 years old, traveled to an agreed location for the meetings where they were later arrested. Detectives are not releasing the location of the operation because the investigation is ongoing.
According to court documents,Brandon Agnew of Bothell showed up with two video games and cash in exchange for sex with an 11-year-old girl and was arrested.
During a search of Agnew’s vehicle detectives found a loaded 9mm handgun, knives, four throwing stars – which are blades made of steel – a police baton, handcuffs, and a fire department jacket. The suspect is the son of a retired paramedic but is not a firefighter.
Detectives said the suspect’s vehicle also had red and blue flashing lights similar to the ones found in law enforcement vehicles.
“That’s really scary because what do you do when you see red and blue lights? You pull over, right? That’s what you’re supposed to do,” Rodriguez said.
In many of the cases, detectives seized the suspect’s cell phone and condoms as evidence. They also searched some suspects’ homes after getting warrants.
At Wesley Weidrick’s apartment in Bremerton, detectives found a room with a closet full of sex toys. According to court documents, Weidrick said “he was into being a dominatrix and submissive sexual encounters.” Detectives said Weidrick also agreed to pay for sex with 7 and 11-year-old girls and a woman. During his interviews with detectives he said “It would be cool to hang out with a family.”
According to a probable cause document, one suspect was communicating with an undercover detective when he offered advice on how not to get caught by police.
“He went through all these different things but his sexual need – that drive was so strong that he showed up,” Rodriguez said. “You can do whatever you want but if you show up and it’s us you’re done.”
According to the prosecuting attorney, none of the suspects arrested in “Operation Net Nanny” have any prior felony convictions. “What’s scary is you don’t always know and that’s why there are a lot of these people that we come into contact with that don’t have any prior history or they aren’t sex offenders because they’re harder to detect,” Rodriguez said.
In another case, detectives said Kenneth Chapman of Federal Way agreed to pay $50, wine, candy, an energy drink, and marijuana in exchange for sex with a minor.
During his interview with detectives, Chapman admitted to communicating online about the sexual intercourse and said “his interest was only in the adult female.” He was arrested and booked for rape of a child in the first degree and commercial sexual abuse of a minor.
Many of the suspects are now facing charges that include rape of a child in the first degree and commercial sexual abuse of a minor. All of the suspects made their first appearances in Kitsap County court.
Some of the agencies that assisted WSP in the operation include the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, Bremerton Police, FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Corrections, and Operation Underground Railroad, a non-profit organization that rescues kidnapped children from slavery.
Operation Underground Railroad partially funded the operation. It was the organization’s first time funding an operation like this in the United States.
Here are the names of those arrested in connection with “Operation Net Nanny”:
– Bradley E. Depoe, 31, of Port Angeles
– David J. Cassady, 21, of Port Angeles
– Brandon M. Agnew, 25, of Bothell
– Nikolaus K. Matthews, 24, of Puyallup
– Kevin L. Forler, 47, of Des Moines
– Wesley R. Weidrick, 56, of Bremerton
– Larry W. Thon, 61, of Port Orchard
– Kenneth W. Chapman, 31, of Federal Way
– Dan Press, 66, of Centralia
