25 suspected child predators arrested in Riverside County after month-long “Operation Intercept”

June 9, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — In partnership with the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations and the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team (RCCET), the Riverside County Sheriff Department Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT) recently conducted a month-long proactive undercover enforcement operation – dubbed “Operation Intercept”, that targeted child predators.

The intent of the undercover operation was to identify, locate and arrest potential sexual predators they say actively sought minors on social media platforms for the purpose of committing lewd acts. The operation was also meant to reduce Internet “child predators” who actively seek to commit lewd acts with minors throughout Riverside County.

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During the coordinated operation, task force members used covert social media and communication platforms to communicate with potential child predators looking to engage in lewd acts with a minor under the age of 14, Riverside County Sheriff’s officials have since explained.

“The subjects initiated an online conversation with the undercover operators for the purpose of soliciting a sexual encounter,” said officials. “Through the communication, the subjects arranged to meet the online undercover operator with the intent to engage in lewd sex acts.”

“When the subjects arrived at the predetermined meeting location, task force members contacted and arrested the subjects,” officials continued.

During Operation Intercept a total of 25 subjects were arrested for the following:

Arrested for Soliciting of a Minor with the intent to engage in lewd sex acts:

Demitri Caballero, 25 of Indio
Jose Ortega, 38 of Indio
Evan Grill, 58 of Los Angeles

Arrested for Soliciting of a Minor, Possession of Child Pornography and Distributing Child Pornography:

Stuart Campbell, 46 of Pomona

Arrested for Soliciting of a Minor, Arranging to meet with the intent to engage in lewd sex acts with a minor and Possession of a firearm:

Ismael Rodriguez, 38 of Indio
Scott Miller, 39 of Murrieta
James Renfroe, 34 of Riverside

Arrested for Soliciting of a Minor, Arranging to meet with the intent to engage in lewd sex acts with a minor and violation of parole:

Hilario Mendoza, 45 of Apple Valley

Arrested for Soliciting of a Minor and Arranging to meet with the intent to engage in lewd sex acts with a minor:

Johnathan Ross, 22 of Apple Valley
Salvador Reveles, 34 of Compton
Veston Ash, 48 of Desert Hot Springs
Kristopher Sandoval, 32 of Fontana
Ramon Gomez, 45 of Lake Elsinore
Richard Wooten, 41 of Indio
Ryan Vernola, 29 of Indio
Sean Aluoto, 43 of Irvine
Change Sawyer, 22 of Palm Desert
Marino Lopez, 30 of Palm Desert
Apolonio Luciano, 40 of Palm Springs
Jesse Rojero, 35 of Perris
Jesus Nunez, 61 of Moreno Valley
Anthony Boyd, 30 of Riverside
James Logan, 30 of Riverside
Joshua Rivera, 32 of Rosemead
Ramiro Rodriguez, 35 of Thousand Palms

Subjects arrested during this operation were booked into Riverside County jail facilities.

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“RCAHT and RCCET will continue to conduct proactive operations to locate and apprehend online predators to protect the community and children in the county of Riverside,” officials have since said; adding, “RCAHT and RCCET reminds parents/legal guardians to monitor their children’s online activity, social media/gaming platforms and who they are communicating with in the different online platforms.”

Anyone with questions about this operation can contact Sergeant Jose Tijerina or Sergeant Robert Menchaca of the RCAHT Task Force at (951) 955-1700. Callers can remain anonymous.

About RCAHT:
The Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force was formed in 2010 and the eastern Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force was formed in 2020. Both address crimes involving the exploitation of victims via force, fraud, or coercion. These cases often involve the commercial sex trafficking of children, as well as incidents of forced labor, indentured servitude, debt bondage, or slavery.
The RCAHT Task Force is a multidisciplinary task force that combines the investigative resources of both local and federal law enforcement. The RCAHT Task Force also provides victim services and education/outreach through partnerships with the non-profit groups Operation Safe House, Rebirth Homes, Run 2 Rescue, and Million Kids.
The law enforcement component of RCAHT is currently composed of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Riverside County Probation Department, along with part-time participation of the Hemet Police Department, Riverside Police Department, and Desert Hot Springs Police Department.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.