6 men arrested in online child predator sting in Lincoln County

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By Alexa Ashwell

LINCOLNTON, N.C. — Six men are facing felony charges following an online child predator initiative in Lincoln County.

According to the Lincolnton Police Department, Roger Collins, 53, Scott Brule, 49, Caleb Disorda, 28, Christopher Lowe, 42, James Ritter, 48, and John Woods, 51, are charged with the solicitation of a minor by computer for unlawful sexual activity and appearing. Woods and Brule are also listed as charged with disseminating obscene material to a minor.

The arrests were made between late October and early December.

An undercover detective with the police department said during that time he was posing online as a male or female child, between the ages of 12 and 15.

“I was pretending to be a young child, male or female” said the undercover detective. “We would talk about what the person on the other side wanted to do sexually.”

The detective said the conversations eventually led to the suspects wanting to meet the child with the intention of having sex.

Officials said the men came from multiple counties including, Lincoln, Gaston, Union and Cabarrus, as well as Rock Hill, South Carolina. All were arrested shortly after they arrived to Lincolnton.

“You have to worry about your kids all the time. Especially now with the technology that is there,” said Sharon Mora, who is a mother of four children and lives in Lincolnton.

Mora said she was glad detectives are trying to capture online predators.

Police reports indicate the suspects have various occupations. Officials said none involve direct contact with children.

That hasn’t always been the case when it comes to these arrests for the Lincolnton Police Department. These six arrests mark 41 since the department began its initiative in 2015.  Other arrests included teachers, a nurse and a former police officer.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we have saved some kids from being molested,” said the detective. “It’s a lot of arrests but there are a lot more that could be caught and that’s what is scary about it.”

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