10 indicted in Putnam Co. human trafficking operation
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — An undercover human trafficking operation has resulted in the arrest of 10 men facing felony charges in a targeted effort to identify individuals attempting to purchase illicit sex from minors, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The operation began Feb. 15 in Cookeville and continued through Feb. 17, according to a release from the TBI.
The operational focus was on individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with females under the age of 18, and those engaged in trafficking others for commercial sex acts, the release states.
For all three days of the operation, advertisements were placed in the “Women Seeking Men” section of backpage.com, and two female TBI Agents posted as individuals offering sex on that site, according to the release.
During the course of the resulting text or phone conversations, agents identified themselves as being 14 to 17 years old. A total of 10 men, from college students, to a mail carrier, to a landscaping company owner, traveled to the location to meet for the purpose of illicit sex from a female they believed to be a minor, the release states.
In the course of the three-day operation, men using 697 unique phone numbers responded to the ads that were posted online, seeking to purchase illicit sex, according to the release. The total number of contacts, such as text messages and calls, was 5,211.
Some of the conversations between these men and undercover agents continued after they learned they were chatting with someone they believed to be a minor, the release states.
During the operation, agents and intelligence analysts also gathered information in an effort to identify and recover potential victims of human trafficking.
On May 8, the Putnam County grand jury returned indictments, charging 10 people in connection with this operation. At the time of the release, eight of those men had been taken into custody:
– Kenneth Hobbs, 51, of Dunlap: One count Patronizing Prostitution (Class B Felony)
– Lance Hatmaker, 30, of Carthage: One count Patronizing Prostitution (Class A Felony)
– Matthew Kenty, 18, of Birmingham, Ala.: One count Patronizing Prostitution (Class B Felony)
– Nicanor Baraiac, 42, of Lenoir City: One count Patronizing Prostitution (Class A Felony)
– Nathaniel Stalnaker, 19, of Cookeville: One count Patronizing Prostitution (Class A Felony)
– Justin Adcock, 28, of Algood: One count Patronizing Prostitution (Class A Felony)
– Daniel Baltazar, 34, of Cookeville: One count Patronizing Prostitution (Class B Felony)
– Marcus Clark, 18, of Monroe: One count Patronizing Prostitution (Class A Felony)
The operation was conducted by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the 13th District Attorney General, Cookeville Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.
