he Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit, in partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested eight adult males over the weekend in an underage sex sting operation, “Operation Anvil”. The men, who range in age from 26 to 60 years-old, all responded to on-line ads placed by undercover detectives posing as a 15 year-old female.

One suspect, a 30 year-old Seattle man, sent photographs of himself driving a school bus and showed up to meet undercover detectives still driving the bus. A second suspect, a 34 year-old Bothell man, admitted to undercover detectives that he was a teacher.

“Protecting our county’s most vulnerable citizens – our children – will always remain our number one public safety priority. Getting these predators off our streets makes our communities safer,” said Sheriff Ty Trenary. “I’m especially thankful for the partnership and generous support we continue to receive from U.S. Marshals, making this type of operation possible.”

“The U.S. Marshals Service has a long history of partnering with local law enforcement agencies. Our relationship with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has directly resulted in multiple arrests of sexual predators. Operation Anvil is just another example of what partnering together can accomplish in keeping our communities safer,” said Chief Deputy, Jacob Green.

The operation began last Thursday night and ended with the last arrest at around 1 a.m. Sunday morning. The following suspects were arrested and booked:

36 year-old Mountlake Terrace man, booked for 3rd degree attempted rape of a child
26 year-old Marysville man, booked for 3rd degree attempted rape of a child
35 year-old Snohomish man, booked for 3rd degree attempted rape of a child and commercial sexual abuse of a minor
30 year-old Seattle man, booked for 3rd degree attempted rape of a child
51 year-old Everett man, booked for 3rd degree attempted rape of a child and commercial sexual abuse of a minor
60 year-old Edmonds man, booked for 3rd degree attempted rape of a child
27 year-old St. Louis (Missouri) man, booked for 3rd degree attempted rape of a child
34 year-old Bothell man, booked for 3rd degree attempted rape of a child and communication with a minor for immoral purposes
Detectives continue to process evidence collected in the sting operation, including cell phones and vehicles.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has directly partnered with the U.S. Marshals Service since the creation of the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force (SCVOTF). Established in 2013, the goal of SCVOTF is to coordinate resources with other law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend the worst of the community’s violent offenders. In July of this year, the SCVOTF apprehended John Reed, who is suspected of the execution-style murder of an Arlington couple, in Mexico.

The Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit investigates child sexual abuse cases and other crimes against children, including sex crimes via computer.