Child sex crimes operation results in 21 arrests in the past year, Modesto police say
The Modesto Police Department announced Friday the results of undercover child sex crimes operations that began last year.
As a result of the undercover operations, MPD arrested 12 people on suspicion of sending explicit images, videos and messages to subjects they allegedly believed to be minors in May 2024.
Several of the suspects arranged in-person meetings with the intent to allegedly commit sexual acts and “in some instances, the content they sent or the acts they committed warranted charges of attempting lewd acts with a child,” reads an MPD press release.
“The safety of our children is our top priority. These arrests send a clear message — Modesto will not tolerate child predators in our community,” reads a statement from Sgt. Alex Rivera, who oversees MPD’s Special Crimes Unit. “Our detectives worked tirelessly to bring these offenders to justice, and we will continue to use every available resource to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
The undercover operation was carried out by MPD’s Special Victims detectives and Hi-Tech Crimes, which received training from the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, according to MPD.
Earlier this month, Modesto police launched another operation that lasted two days and targeted people identified through tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. MPD’s press release assured that “Each tip is carefully reviewed to confirm jurisdiction and determine whether a crime has occurred.”
This operation lead to the arrest of eight adults and a 15-year-old boy. The boy was arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography. No further details regarding his arrest were included in MPD’s press release.
The following is a list of people arrested on suspicion of child sex-related crimes during MPD’s operations. It includes only locals. To see the full list, view the press release on MPD’s Facebook page.
Those arrested during the undercover chatting operations include:
- May 2024: Jeremiah Sloan, 27, of Modesto – allegedly sent harmful material to a minor, attempted to arrange a meeting for sexual acts, and attempted lewd acts with a child under 14.
- June 2024: Dustin Mathewson, 31, of Merced – allegedly sent harmful material to a minor and attempted to engage in lewd communication.
- August 2024: Pedro Gil, 47, of Modesto – allegedly attempted to molest or annoy a person he believed to be under 18.
- September 2024: Ashish Bhatia, 26, of Tracy – allegedly sent harmful material to a minor, arranged a meeting for sexual purposes.
- September 2024: Christopher Wheeler, 43, of Angels Camp – allegedly attempted to engage in lewd communication and send harmful material to a minor.
- October 2024: Michael Vickerman, 52, of Modesto – allegedly contacted a minor for sexual purposes, arranged a meeting for sex, and committed lewd acts with a child under 14. He was also found in possession of controlled substances.
- October 2024: Frank Copeland, 44, of Riverbank – allegedly sent harmful material to a minor and attempted to engage in lewd communication.
Those arrested during the NCMEC tip operation include:
- Alvaro Avalos, 32, of Modesto – Possession of child pornography.
- Jerry Villarreal, 37, of Modesto – Possession of stolen property, possession of a short-barreled rifle, and possession of an assault weapon.
- Ricardo Huerta, 18, of Modesto – Possession of child pornography.
- Aaron Ramirez-Ochoa, 21, of Modesto – Possession of child pornography.
- Christian Anderson, 31, of Modesto – Possession of child pornography and multiple misdemeanor warrants.
- Tyshawn Thompson, 29, of Modesto – Possession of child pornography.
- Douglas Vyse, 42, of Modesto – Distribution and possession of child pornography.
- Jose Alcantar, 26, of Modesto – Distribution and possession of child pornography.
- A 15 year-old boy, of Modesto – Possession of child pornography
- Eduardo Solorio-Flores, 25, of Modesto – Possession of child pornography.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 12:35 PM.
