MICHIGAN, USA — Another West Michigan man was arrested in a child exploitation sting, bringing the total to seven, police announced Monday.
Jack Leland Draper, 35, from Wyoming, was the latest to be arrested. He will be arraigned Monday afternoon, officials say.
Five of the men are from West Michigan. They were arrested for allegedly attempting to meet up with minors to have sex, according to investigators.
The investigation was a partnership between the Kent County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s West Michigan-Based Child Exploitation Task Force (WEBCHEX).
Last week, members with these task forces posed online as minors, and the men contacted them. The men allegedly sent and requested explicit photos and videos. Two of the men drove in an attempt to meet up for sex.
All of the men have been charged with child sexually abusive activity, accosting a minor and using a computer to communicate with another to commit a crime.
They have been identified as:
- Jack Draper, 35, of Wyoming
- Justin Hastings, 40, of Comstock Park
- Samuel Durham, 36, of East Grand Rapids
- Thomas Ramsey, 66, of Wyoming
- Jason Burgess, 40, of Colon
"The FBI is fully committed to disrupting and preventing the exploitation of minors, and our collaboration with the Kent County Sheriff's Office underscores the critical, life-saving efforts our agencies undertake every day," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "Our state has no tolerance for trafficking and, with our partners, we will continue to identify and investigate these criminals for threatening our most vulnerable population."
If you have any information on someone being exploited or trafficked, contact the Kent County Sheriff's Office Human Trafficking Task Force at 616-632-6125 or email tips to HTTF@kentcountymi.gov.