BPD Special Victims Unit talks eight arrests in large-scale investigation, protecting kids

Knowledge

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Update:

Special Victims Unit Sergeant Cory Turner spoke to CBS2 regarding the arrests and ways to protect families.

Sergeant Turner confirmed that the eight suspects have no relation to each other; they are not part of a group. He noted that they are still presumed innocent till proven guilty in court.

The investigation, which led to the arrests, took several months. Turner noted the near-constant communication that occurs between law enforcement during the preparation.

"During the operation, all those same team members are present, and there's constant communication going on," Turner said.

Turner added that the Special Victims Unit was crucial in the investigation and many similar cases.

"Here at the Boise Police Department, we have a dedicated of special victims unit detectives," Turner said. "Their number one priority is the safety of children... children are the most vulnerable in our population, and we are working every day diligently to protect kids; that's our number one priority."

However, Turner added that the frontlines of preventing child exploitation or child trafficking are the child's parents.

"Child safety begins at home," Turner said. "It begins with the parents, and for me, the number one thing that parents should do is have an open and honest and tough conversation with your child."

Turner said that while you don't need to start taking away electronic devices, parents should play a proactive role in what content they allow their children to look at.

"There's good, and there's bad with electronic devices...be aware of what your child is doing on that electronic device, be aware of what they're looking at, be aware of who they're talking to," Turner said.

While topics like this can be hard to discuss, especially with a child, Turner emphasizes how necessary that conversation is.

"It is a tough conversation. It's not easy," Turner said. "And what I would say to that is, there's somebody having that conversation with your child, and do you want it to be them, or do you want it to be you."

Original Story:

Eight people were arrested in Boise in connection with a large-scale investigation centering around sexual exploitation of children.

Three men, two from Boise and one from Vale, Oregon, have been arrested on federal charges and are currently held in the Ada County Jail. The remaining five men have been arrested on state charges relating to enticement and sexual exploitation of a child.

On Friday and Saturday, Boise Police, in concert with partner agencies from Meridian Police, Garden City Police, Ada County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security, the Idaho Attorney General, ICAC task force and others, coordinated through a large-scale investigation to arrest these eight people for the enticement or exploitation of children.

Undercover officers found the suspects were utilizing several social media applications to communicate with people they believed to be minors and were actively coordinating meetings with them for sexual purposes. One suspect even traveled across state lines to meet what he thought was a minor child.

The suspects arrested are:

  • 32-year-old Tyler Asker from Boise (not pictured)
  • 40-year-old Shawn Long from Boise (not pictured)
  • 44-year-old Daniel De Long from Vale, Oregon (not pictured)
  • 21-year-old David Gowin from Boise
  • 32-year-old Deler Abdulbaqi from Boise
  • 27-year-old Michael Gantz from Boise
  • 32-year-old Michael Hibbard from Garden City
  • 32-year-old Emmanuel Padron from Garden City

The three men facing federal charges do not have mug shots available currently.

"I am grateful to live in a community with so many partners committed to stopping this type of damaging and criminal activity," said Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar. "When it comes to priorities, there are few, if any, that should rank higher than devoting our resources to protecting children. Holding offenders accountable in such situations is one of law enforcement's highest and most noble charters."

Boise Police would like to remind parents to talk with children about safety online and what to do if they receive concerning messages.

Talk to kids about the responsibility of phone or internet access and the possible danger they may face, including cyberbullying, sexting, taking explicit images, and online predators.

  • Set guidelines for phone, app, and online usage.
  • Parents should monitor a kid's phone usage and online activity.
  • Consider having the charging station in a parent's bedroom at night to prevent phone usage overnight.
  • Having an open dialogue with your child is the best safety resource.

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