Undercover ‘Operation Full Armor’ Leads to Dozens of Arrests for Solicitation of A Minor

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– Sheriff Leon Lott is calling it one of the most successful sting operations in the state. Operation Full Armor captured 38 in total for solicitation. A dozen of the men arrested for soliciting a minor. 

Sheriff Lott said they had fifty officers a day working on this. Undercover officers used online personas of 13-year-old girls on a variety of social media apps and men would message them soliciting them for nude photos, or in some cases traveling to a home to have sexual contact with the girl.

RCSD released a video showing a men going to a home where they thinks a 13-year-old girl is waiting for them. Little do they know, there are only officers and handcuffs behind the door.    

“Unfortunately for them, they didn’t meet a 13 or 14 year old girl. They met us. That’s law enforcement,” Sheriff Lott said. 

Senior Investigator Melissa Perry initiated the sting here in Richland County. For her, seeing all of the faces of those arrested gives her hope.  

“Exciting but it also reminds me how much work we have to do. So the work continues, but it does give you a sense of satisfaction that we did for the time being, put a dent in these child predators,” Perry said. 

“It’s frustrating but that’s why you never quit. That’s why you even go stronger. Because they’re out there and they’ll continue to do it,” Perry said.

Some of the men arrested are boy scout leaders, ethics commission members, and a lieutenant in the army. For many,, this is not their first offense. Deputies say many of those who were asking children for inappropriate pictures are not even in the state.

“This investigation is still ongoing, it’s far reaching. These were just the ones that came to us during the operation. There are several others that we’re in the process of identifying that are all across the US. And like Sheriff said, we’ll be going to get them,” Lt. Chris Lindler said, with RCSD Special Victims Unit. Seven other sheriff’s departments were involved including Aiken, Greenville, Florence, York, Horry, Marion, and Charleston county. South Carolina’s Attorney General’s office, US Attorney’s office, Secret Service for polygraphs, Homeland Security, and the US Marshals were also involved. 

Sheriff Lott says this is a good time to remind all kids that they do not always know who they are talking to on the internet. He says as a parent of a teenage daughter himself, he is always watching what she is doing on all her social media accounts.

“All kids are scared of monsters coming out from underneath their bed or in the closet. These are real monsters. They’re not coming from under the bed or in the closet, they’re coming from the computer. Over the internet,” Lott said.  

This is not the end of this. Deputies say they will be looking for those online predators who were from other states. Sheriff Lott said this will not be the the last sting. He says as long as they continue, so will RCSD.