Two local men arrested following Riley County child exploitation sting
The latest arrests stem from a mid-September multi-agency operation targeting sex buyers that previously netted 19 other suspects.
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Sign up freeThe Riley County Police Department arrested two local men Friday as part of an ongoing, multi-agency investigation into child exploitation and human trafficking.
Cody Michael Caswell, 35, of Manhattan, and Bailey Ryan Jacobs, 43, of St. George, face felony charges related to the electronic solicitation of minors following a joint operation conducted Sept. 17-18 across Riley and Geary counties. The sting — which involved the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and more than a dozen local law enforcement agencies — specifically targeted sex buyers and offenders intending to meet children for sexual relations.
Prior to Friday, authorities had already arrested 19 other suspects in connection with the mid-September sweep.
Caswell was taken into custody Friday morning in Manhattan on suspicion of electronic solicitation and attempted aggravated human trafficking for allegedly attempting to hire a minor for sexual acts. He remained held in the Riley County Jail on a $100,000 bond as of Monday.
Jacobs was arrested later Friday afternoon in St. George on suspicion of electronic solicitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a child for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material. He is no longer in custody after posting a $75,000 bond.
Police said the investigation remains active and declined to release further details.
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