Men offered marijuana in exchange for sex with girl, documents allege – WTVY
DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) – Two men charged with soliciting an underage child planned to pay for sex with marijuana, court records reveal.
Jesse Kaleb Barefield and Timothy Delane Smith are among seven men who face charges of soliciting sex from an undercover operative they believed was a 15-year-old girl.
Their arrests came over the weekend in an investigation authorities dubbed “Operation Nutcracker,” which involved several law enforcement agencies.
While charging documents allege Barefield, 24, and Smith, 29, offered marijuana, other defendants offered payments generally ranging from $80 to $100.
Other suspects include Gregory Adam Lewis, 38; Emmitt Reed Jones, 40; Hunter Erik Bedsole, 20; and Justin Westbrook, 35.
Smith, Reed, Bedsole, and Westbrook face human trafficking charges in Dale County, while the others face electronic solicitation charges in Houston County.
Houston County District Attorney Russ Goodman said authorities decided not to pursue the human trafficking charge after reviewing state laws.
Human trafficking carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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