PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (LEX News) — A 40-year-old man has been arrested and charged following an investigation into alleged online communications with individuals he believed were minors, according to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Bobby Jones said Detective Lt. Matt Bryant, working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, met Monday morning with members of KyPredoPursuit, an organization that uses adult-operated decoy accounts to identify people attempting to arrange sexual contact with minors.
Investigators reviewed communications allegedly involving Raquel Gomez-Lopez, who authorities said used the online name “Cirjio Gomes.” According to the sheriff's office, Gomez-Lopez communicated through Facebook with two separate decoy accounts and was told both represented 14-year-old girls.
Authorities allege Gomez-Lopez expressed a desire to engage in sexual activity with the purported minors and discussed providing alcohol to one of them.
Investigators said Gomez-Lopez traveled to a location in Somerset on Sept. 7 expecting to meet one of the purported minors. Law enforcement officers located him in the area and took him into custody. Authorities said he also had an active bench warrant in an unrelated case.
Following the investigation, Gomez-Lopez was charged with unlawful procurement of a minor by electronic means and attempted unlawful transaction with a minor in the first degree.
Both charges are Class C felonies under Kentucky law. Bond was set at $30,000 cash, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities said Gomez-Lopez was also placed under a federal detention order related to his immigration status.
