Investigators from the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office arrested five individuals after conducting an online solicitation sting from August 13 through August 15.

According to a release from the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, the operation investigators were targeting individuals seeking to have sexual contact with juveniles under 15 years old.

During the sting operation, Danny Lee Schroeder of Brainerd, Mark Joshua Ridlon of Ironton, William Anthony Desrocher of Brainerd, Eddy Alejandro Aquino Reynoso of Long Prairie, and Douglas Arnold Odegard of Baxter were arrested for various charges related to solicitation of underage children to engage in sexual activity.

Sheriff Scott Goddard states, “I’m extremely saddened to learn that members of our communities were actively attempting to prey upon children. I want the citizens of Crow Wing County to know that my office has a very aggressive stance of this type of predatory behavior and I am very pleased with my investigators and those who provided my office with the assistance to stop these predators before they succeed in harming anyone. We will continue to tirelessly pursue anyone suspected of this type of behavior.”

Assisting the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office was the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division (LADID), and the Nisswa, Brainerd, and Baxter Police Departments.

By — Malaak Khattab

News Reporter