A 33-year-old man was apprehended on Wednesday, July 15, marking the 32nd and final arrest related to “Operation Checkmate,” a multi-day undercover operation aimed at internet child exploitation.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office stated on Wednesday that members of the United States Marshals Task Force detained Landon Cross at his Southside apartment. Authorities say Cross used an internet messaging platform to request sex from an undercover cop acting as a teenage boy.
According to investigators, Cross never traveled to see the decoy in person. However, soliciting sex after the undercover cop discovered the decoy’s juvenile status met the legal criteria for a criminal conviction. Following the conclusion of the formal operation, detectives continued to evaluate evidence and secured a warrant for his arrest.
The arrest brings an end to a sweep that netted 32 defendants charged with predatory online behavior. Police said those arrested hailed from a variety of backgrounds. Six of the individuals are in the country illegally, and three have already been arrested for similar acts.
Although Cross was the only suspect identified as part of Operation Checkmate, officials claimed that the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit will continue to monitor the case.
Detectives in the unit continue to track internet solicitations, with department spokesmen declaring that police are “working around the clock to stop anyone exploiting children” and that “we will never finish our fight.”
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