4 people arrested in a Larimer County child prostitution sting
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Four people have been arrested in a sting operation for allegedly seeking out sexual contact with underage children.
The sting was conducted by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office on Dec. 1-3 at two locations in the county, with help from Homeland Security and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith thanked sheriff's office and federal staff for their work in the operation.
“Operations like this are very detailed in their planning and staff intensive in their implementation,” Smith said in a Facebook post Tuesday. “However, protecting our children from sexual predators is a top tier priority for our community.”
The Coloradoan has requested arrest documents in all four cases but had not yet received them as Tuesday afternoon.
Amarnath Arikapudi of Fort Collins faces eight felony charges, including internet luring of a child with intern for sexual contact or exploitation, attempted sexual assault on a child and patronizing a prostituted child.
Jeffrey Beaman of Fort Collins and Joshua McCathern of Cheyenne, Wyoming, were both arrested on three felony charges: attempted sexual assault on a child, internet luring of a child and patronizing a prostituted child.
Satyander Dudee of Kentucky was charged with five felonies, including internet luring of a child with intent for sexual contact or exploitation, attempted sexual assault on a child, enticement of a child and patronizing a prostituted child.
The sheriff's office declined to release additional information on the arrests and sting to protect the integrity of further operations, according to a news release.
Arikapudi, Beaman and Dudee have all posted their bonds, ranging from $20,000 to $50,000, and were not in custody as of Tuesday afternoon. McCathern remained in the Larimer County Jail on a $35,000 bond as of Tuesday afternoon, according to court records.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
How to keep children safe online
Have an open conversation with your children about what they’re using and looking at online.
Talk to your children about what kind of content they should and should not send and receive online.
Set up parental access controls on devices and in apps to block unsafe sites.
Look for changes in your child’s demeanor or behavior after spending time online.
Tips courtesy of Fort Collins Police Services. For more digital safety resources, visit fcgov.com/police/digital-safety.
Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County government and more throughout Northern Colorado. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: 4 people arrested in child prostitution sting in Larimer County
