Four Michigan men arrested in child sex exploitation sting
Justin Hastings and Thomas Ramsey were two of four Michigan suspects child with child exploitation.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A total of six people were arrested as part of a child exploitation sting in West Michigan – including four men from the state's west side and two from out state.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office Human Trafficking Task Force announced the bust on Thursday after an extensive undercover operation was done last week with the FBI.
According to the sheriff's office, undercover agents and detectives placed ads on social media as minors and were contacted by multiple men. Those men then began sending and asking for sexually explicit photos and videos.
Two of the men even drove to meet what they believed were minors for sex.
In total, four suspects from Michigan were arrested and charged with child sexually abusive activity, accosting a minor, and using a computer to commit a crime. They all face decades in prison.
The sheriff's office identified the four Michigan suspects as Justing Hastings, 40, Samuel Durham, 36, Thomas Ramsey, 66, and Jason Burgess, 40.
"Outcomes from undercover operations like these likely cause concern for the Kent County community due to the graphic nature and audacity of the suspects involved," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
One of the other two men was from Indiana. Authorities did not specify where the sixth suspect was from.
"The FBI is fully committed to disrupting and preventing the exploitation of minors, and our collaboration with the Kent County Sheriff's Office underscores the critical, life-saving efforts our agencies undertake every day," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "Our state has no tolerance for trafficking and, with our partners, we will continue to identify and investigate these criminals for threatening our most vulnerable population."