TEXARKANA — A recent series of operations targeting sex offenders resulted in 19 arrests in Miller County, officials said.
The three operations were conducted by the River Valley Task Force, which comprises the Texarkana Police Department, the Miller County sheriff’s office and the U.S. Marshals Service for the Western District of Arkansas.
The first, Operation Predator, began in June with an undercover operation targeting online child predators. For five days, members of the task force spent time at a house set up as the headquarters for the operation. The house was also the place where the undercover officers arranged to meet possible sexual predators with whom they communicated via online chatting.
James Buchanan of Fouke was arrested during the sting. He purportedly attempted to meet an officer posing as an underage female.
Officers said Buchanan drove to the house, stopped briefly and drove away. Officials followed Buchanan to the parking lot of Albertsons on State Line Avenue, where he was arrested.
Buchanan purportedly admitted to posing as a bisexual female online in an attempt to lure the “child” to the house for sexual purposes.
Other online contacts reportedly engaged officers in sexually explicit conversations. Many of the contacts either sent pictures of their genitals or of themselves in pornographic acts or performed sexual acts live via a webcam, authorities said. Officers were able to obtain information to help them identify several of the individuals. Additional arrests from the sting are pending.
The second week-long operation began July 5 in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration Act. Officers conducted address verifications and compliance checks on registered sex offenders living within the city limits of Texarkana.
The third operation began July 19. Several teams of officers served outstanding felony warrants on offenders in Miller County.
The three-day operation resulted in 18 arrests of registered sex offenders for a variety of felony charges.
Texarkana residents Clarence Edward Simms, 46, and Claude Crafton Smith, 28, were arrested for robbery. Byron Dale Robertson, 48, of Fouke was arrested for Internet stalking of a child. Willie Clyde Mixon, 47, of Texarkana was arrested for burglary and breaking and entering.
Arkansas, Pages 14 on 07/26/2010