Operation Keiki Shield 29 nets three internet predators on Oʻahu

Three individuals have been arrested on Oʻahu as part of Operation Keiki Shield 29. Law enforcement officers conducted the operation statewide and the arrests, on charges related to internet facilitated sexual offenses against children, were made between Friday, Nov. 7 and Sunday, Nov. 9.

The suspects included men ranging in age between 26 and 42. They were arrested and charged after allegedly soliciting individuals they believed to be children for sex and then taking substantial steps to meet up with those “minors” for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual acts with them, according to a news release from the Department of the Attorney General. However, instead of minors, these offenders were met and arrested by law enforcement officers.

One of the suspects was charged with Commercial Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – HRS § 712-1209.1, while two were charged with Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree – HRS § 707-756. Two of the suspects are civilians and one is an active duty servicemember with the US Navy.

Operation Keiki Shield is an ongoing operation to identify, locate and arrest offenders who commit internet-facilitated sexual crimes against children and to identify and rescue child victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The operation is under the overall blanket of the state of Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General and Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, and includes officers and agents from county, state, federal and military law enforcement.

“Our mission is simple: protect Hawai‘i’s keiki and hold accountable anyone who seeks to exploit them,” said Edward Arias, supervisory special agent and Hawaiʻi ICAC Commander. “Operations like Keiki Shield remind the community that law enforcement is working together every day to prevent harm, identify victims and stop offenders before they can reach a child.”

Operation Keiki Shield 29 was hosted by the Honolulu Police Department and included officers, investigators, analysts, attorneys and agents from the Honolulu Police Department, the Department of the Attorney General Criminal Justice Division ICAC Task Force, Hawaiʻi Attorney General Special Investigation and Prosecution Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the United States Secret Service.

The three men are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.