14 arrested in online sting targeting child sex predators

Fourteen people were arrested this week in a sting targeting online predators in the Las Vegas Valley.

Jordan Martinez, 24, Jonathan Santos, 28, Pedrito Castillo, 28, Kerry Krukenberg, 40, Trent Courtney, 25, George Espinoza, 34, Rafael Villarreal, 35, Andrew Lee, 40, Joal Robles, 29, Erik Huey, 49, Carey Sherwood, 50, Rene Zuniga, 42, Deonta Griffin, 36, and Roderick Schmitt, 47, were each charged with luring a minor with a computer to engage in a sex act, according to court records.

Agents from the FBI and Henderson, North Las Vegas and Las Vegas police posed as minors online to set up meetings for sex, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police Department on Friday. When the adult showed up for the date with a juvenile, they were arrested by officers at the scene.

All 14 were arrested Tuesday and Wednesday, but the circumstances around each arrest were not available Friday afternoon.

“LVMPD would like to remind parents to discuss with their children the dangers of online chats with strangers,” Metro said in the statement. “Parents are encouraged to routinely monitor their children’s activity on social media and other online applications to prevent them from becoming victims of a child sex predator.”

Huey is a former Clark County School District substitute teacher, most recently in 2018, according to Transparent Nevada. His blog, Clark County School Watch, said he taught high school English and creative writing.

Santos, Lee, Huey, Sherwood, Zuniga and Griffin face an additional charge of customer engaging in solicitation.

Santos and Castillo were being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center, and Courtney was being held on $8,500 bail.

Villarreal, Lee, Huey, Sherwood, Zuniga, Griffin and Schmitt were being held at the North Las Vegas Detention Center on bails between $15,000 and $30,000 with hearings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

Espinoza was released on $20,000 bail and has a court hearing scheduled for March 15.

Court information was not yet available for Martinez, Krukenberg and Robles.

Anyone with information about these crimes may call Metro at 702-828-3111.

Erik Huey was an employee of the Las Vegas Review-Journal from December 2003 to May 2004 and from May 2010 to August 2011.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.