Photo by Candice Black - Lt. DeMeyer hold a press conference Wednesday at the Parkersburg Police Department to discuss the arrest of four men on child solicitation charges.
Tristian Lee Cumberledge, 38, 16th St. Box , Craigsville, W. Ward allegedly used an electronic device to communicate with who he believed to be a year-old female. Stalnaker said. Ward sent pictures of his genitalia and the conversation was sexual in nature. Compton had also allegedly spoken with who he believed was a year-old and sent a picture of his face. Cumberledge allegedly told undercover members of law enforcement, who he thought was a year-old girl, that he wanted to perform a sex act on a teenage girl.
Holbert allegedly sent a video of his genitalia to who he thought was a year-old boy, talked about engaging in sexual activity and planned to meet in Parkersburg for sexual acts, Stalnaker said. A few years ago, a similar sting operation took place and six were arrested for child solicitation crimes.
DeMeyer said child solicitation on the internet is very common around the country and that parents should be aware of what their children are doing online, specifically with platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. DeMeyer hopes to create a local task force to combat online child solicitation with the idea that with more people working toward a common goal, it will be successful in more arrests.
To gain a knowledge of how certain sites and apps work, DeMeyer encourages parents and guardians to download them to their phones. Cumberledge, Holbert, Ward and Compton are being charged with solicitation of a minor.
