Watch CBS 6 News starting at 5 p.m. for senior reporter Wayne's Covil's full report on this developing story.
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Three men have been arrested in Chesterfield County this month for soliciting who they believed were children for sex, according to police.
"Each suspect used a social media application to solicit a person they believed to be a minor for sex acts," officials with Chesterfield Police said Thursday.
Chesterfield County Police Chief Col. Jeff Katz wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday that detectives have been "wrangling up pervs on the fly."
Katz said the department's has "robust infrastructure in place to identify and capture people" online who solicit children and that their operations recently became "more nimble, frequent, and smaller scaled."
Katz had this warning for predators.
"If you solicit a minor online for a sexual encounter in Chesterfield County, you are probably chatting with a highly trained investigator and you will likely be arrested," Katz wrote. "The 'interwebs' are broad and expansive and we’d sincerely appreciate it if you’d help spread the word to those in your social network."
Detectives in Chesterfield have arrested 24 suspects related to online solicitation of minors in 2021, according to police.
RELATED: One of 20 men arrested in Chesterfield child sex sting was healthcare provider
Police said 27-year-old Terey Hackney was arrested on Aug. 5 and charged with taking indecent liberties with a child and use of a communication device to solicit a minor, according to police.
"Hackney, of the 12700 block of Summerhouse Lane, believed he was chatting with a 14-year-old boy who he arranged to meet for sex," detectives said. "Upon arriving at the arranged location, he was intercepted by detectives and taken into custody."
Thrity-four-year-old Arrelius D. Pleasant III was arrested on Aug. 11 and charged with taking indecent liberties with a child and use of a communication device to solicit a minor, according to police.
"Pleasant, of the 1400 block of Melton Avenue in Richmond, believed he was chatting with a 14-year-old boy who he solicited for sex," detectives said. "He was arrested at his residence in Richmond."
Thirty-three-year-old Spencer K. Williamson was arrested on Aug. 2 and charged with use of a communication device to solicit a minor, according to police.
"Williamson, of the 5000 block of Twelveoaks Road, believed he was chatting with a 15-year-old male who he then arranged to meet for sex," detectives said. "During the communication, Williamson offered to bring marijuana, which was found in his vehicle when he was intercepted by detectives and taken into custody."
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
