10 Charged With Soliciting Sex from Children After Weekend Sting in Tuscaloosa

10 men were arrested in Tuscaloosa this weekend during an undercover operation targeting the sexual exploitation of children, law enforcement officials announced Monday morning.

Captain Phil Simpson, the commander of the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, said his agents conducted a sting in Tuscaloosa this Friday and Saturday night.

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The sting specifically targeted men who believed they were chatting with minors online and solicited them for sex.

“The officers working this detail did an outstanding job with this detail,” Simpson said. “The offenders in these cases use social media apps and websites to prey on young, vulnerable victims. We hope operations like this get the attention of online sexual predators and ultimately protect would-be victims.”

The task force provided a list of those arrested and the charges filed against them, which are included verbatim below:

• Henry Franklin Averette, 25, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. Bond was set at $90,000.
• Mark Anthony Blackmon, 45, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. Bond was set at $90,000.
• Octavius Letrell Dailey, 31, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child, second-degree possession of marijuana and resisting arrest. Bond was set at $99,000.
• Malika Raheem Guyton, 24, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child and transmitting obscene material to a child by computer. Bond was set at $12,000.
• Nathaniel Rodrick Johnson III, 21, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child, resisting arrest and attempting to elude. He was held on a $102,000total bond.
• Kane Ronterrius Perryman, 22, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child and carrying a pistol without a permit. Bond was set at $95,000.
• Eric Lamort Taylor, 45, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. Bond was set at $90,000.
• Kevin Christopher Wallace, 19, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child, carrying a pistol without a permit, first-degree possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond was set at $110,000.
• William Earl Washington Jr., 23, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child, transmitting obscene material to a child by computer, attempting to elude, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental operations. Bond was set at $144,000.
• William Rogers Wright, 36, was charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child, transmitting obscene material to a child by computer, carrying a pistol without a permit, second-degree possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $140,000.

The task force consists of officers from the Tuscaloosa and Northport Police Departments and The University of Alabama Police Department. Simpson said they were aided in this case by the Tuscaloosa Cyber Intelligence Unit, the Joint Electronic Crimes Task Force, Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue Service, the University of West Alabama Police Department, the federal Homeland Security Investigations, the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the University of Alabama’s Institute for Data Analytics and Trafficking Hope.