Two men, Rocky Keith McCallum and Steven Jay West, have been arrested by the Benton County Sheriff’s Department for online sexual corruption of a child after a sting operation.
McCallum, 50, of Monmouth, and Jay West, 70, of Gleneden Beach, were caught after making contact with undercover detectives pretending to be a 15-year-old girl. A large number of men in fact, according to detectives, responded to their online post posing as a 15-year-old.
McCallum was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 25 after making contact with the undercover account and was charged with online sexual corruption of a child I, online sexual corruption of a child II, luring a minor, and attempting to use a child in display of sexually explicit conduct.
Jay West was arrested on Feb. 10 after responding to the account and agreeing to pay for sex. He was charged with online sexual corruption of a child I, online sexual corruption of a child II, luring a minor, and purchasing sex with a minor.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office advised parents to ensure their children are being safe online and said they will be continuing to conduct these kinds of investigations. The Sheriff’s Office also noted that the safety of minors may be at a higher risk at the moment because of online school and more usage of digital devices during the COVID pandemic.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office asked the public to report any suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at CyberTipline or 1-800-843-5678, and encouraged citizens to seek more information on privacy settings for devices on the FBI website.
By Cara Nixon
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