KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement arrested four men earlier this month who were seeking to have sex with 14-year-old girls as part of a broader law enforcement operation to combat human trafficking occurring in communities north and east of Kansas City, according to a statement from the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff.
The following suspects have been charged with felony attempted enticement of a child.
- Nicholas M. Meisenhelter, 32, of Shawnee, Kan.
- Simon Gomez-Cruz, 22, of Kansas City, Kan. He also is under investigation by federal authorities for possible immigration law violations.
- Jorge Arguello-Benitez, 48, of Kansas City, Mo.
- Elpidio Lopez-Alonzo, 23, of Kansas City, Mo.
The suspects believed they were corresponding with a 14-year-old girl online, who turned out to be under-cover Clay County Sheriff’s Office detectives. When they attempted to meet the girl in person, deputies arrested them instead.
In the operation on Aug. 7 and 8, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office was part of a coalition of Northland law enforcement agencies who combined efforts to fight this crime. The Clay, Clinton, Platte, and Ray County sheriffs and the Kearney Police Department each hosted a proactive counter-trafficking operation in their jurisdiction. They were assisted substantially by the Cameron Police, Richmond Police, Kansas City International Airport Police, Kansas City, Kan., Police, and Riverside Police Departments, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Social Services - State Technical Assistance Team, and Homeland Security Investigations. Technical assistance was provided by the Bourbon County (KS) Sheriff, Butler County (KS) Sheriff, Goodyear (AZ) Police, Greenwood County (KS) Sheriff, Mesa (AZ) Police and Peoria (AZ) Police.
This operation was designed from the beginning to reduce the demand for victimization of victim-survivors of sex trafficking in these communities, connect to and provide critical services and support to these potential victims, and especially deter any suspect attempting to prey upon children who have been enslaved by the commercial sex industry. The total results for this operation were:
- Seven suspects arrested and booked for attempting to buy sex with a child
- Three suspects arrested and booked for attempting to buy sex
- Two suspects arrested for promoting prostitution for recruiting a person to engage in prostitution. One suspect in this case was ultimately booked for kidnapping and sexual assault after excellent work by the investigators revealed additional crimes that were occurring in another jurisdiction. A victim-survivor was recovered and placed into aftercare.
- Eight potential sex trafficking survivors met with local advocates from Value Unconditional and Relentless Pursuit Outreach and Recovery, with technical assistance provided by ICTSOS, a Wichita-based anti-human-trafficking organization. Many of them are now receiving advocacy and aftercare support.