A northern-Virginia underage-sex sting operation targeting men who wanted to have sex or commit indecent acts with minors has led to the arrest of a Montgomery County police officer, officials confirmed Monday, the Washington Post reports.
Christopher Dunkes, a 27-year-old patrolman with Montgomery County, was arrested after he agreed to meet up with an undercover officer who was pretending to be a 15-year-old girl from Prince William County, Va., according to a criminal complaint filed in court.
According to authorities, Dunkes emailed and texted the undercover officer about sex acts and had twice suggested a specific act, as well as suggested that the officer meet in his car. In the end, he agreed to meet the officer at a Target, where officials say he was arrested without issue.
According to the Post, Montgomery Police Capt. Paul Starks said that Dunkes has since been suspended without pay.
“We are cooperating with the investigation,” Starks said. “Our internal-affairs division is communicating with Prince William County police.”
Dunkes is currently facing charges in Virginia of using a communication device to facilitate offenses with juveniles and is being held without bond.
Prince William police arrested six other Virginia men in the sting: Steven Castillo, 20, of Woodbridge; Jeffrey H. Dimond, 35, of Fredericksburg; Curtis M. Jenkins, 54, of Fairfax; Jordan Kolbinskie, 23, of Manassas; David Lee Mathes, 58, of Warrenton; and Chad M. Warner, 24, of Sterling.
"During this operation, undercover detectives used social media and an undisclosed online site where they posed as underage juveniles,” Prince William police said in the statement. “Male suspects contacted the undercover detectives and, during the course of communications, solicited sexual or indecent acts. These conversations involving the accused parties took place through electronic means. In each of the incidents, the suspect made arrangements to meet the undercover detective at a public location in Prince William County. Once there, detectives arrested the individual without incident.”
Read more at the Washington Post.