Multiple men charged in connection with online crimes against children

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — The Mooresville Police Department announced the arrest of multiple men in connection with online crimes against children.

The suspects of various ages are accused of using various platforms to solicit minors.

According to reports from the Charlotte Observer, one of the suspects attended a Kannapolis Ballers Minor League Baseball game last weekend, where he expected to meet up with a teen. However, he was meeting up with an officer instead.

Those suspects and their charges include:

• Damon Jefferson, 25, of Salisbury. Jefferson has been charged with felony soliciting a child by computer and appearing. He received a $250,000 secured bond.
• Judson Creech II, 36, of Mooresville. He has been charged with Creech with felony soliciting a child by computer and appearing. He received a $30,000 secured bond.
• Jorge Armondo Martinez, 37, who lives in Charlotte. Martinez has been charged with felony soliciting a child by computer and appearing. He received a $30,000 secured bond.
• Ismael Vazquez, 33, who lives in Charlotte. Vazquez has been charged with felony soliciting a child by computer and appearing. He received a $30,000 secured bond.
• James David Courtney, 91, of Lexington. Courtney has been charged with felony soliciting a child by computer. He received a $50,000 secured bond.
• Eddie Rigdon, 72, of Leland. Leland has been charged with felony soliciting a child by computer. He received a $2,500 secured bond.
• William Dane Tobey, 75, of Salisbury. Tobey has been charged with felony soliciting a child by computer and appearing. He received a $30,000 secured bond.
• Manuel Crispin Gonzalez, 35, who lives in Winston-Salem. Gonzalez has been charged with a misdemeanor, no operator’s license, and a fictitious or altered tag. He received a $1,000 secured bond.

Police said they used sites like Craigslist, Kik, Sniffles, Skip the Games, and Wireclub to connect with victims. They are urging parents to pay attention to the sites their kids use often.

Mother of two, Tanisha Beaty, told Channel 9 that she checks her children’s cellphones often to prevent them from becoming victims of crimes like this.

“You just never know what’s going across the internet, so you have to check it to make sure their well-being is good,” Beaty said.

The Mooresville Police Department said more than 20 agencies collaborated to facilitate these arrests.

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