9 men arrested in Lee County after allegedly trying to lure children

Published: Updated:

Nine men have been arrested for trying to lure children, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

LCSO identified the following suspects arrested during the month of May:

  • Cosme Bejaran, 33
  • Javier Chavez, 34
  • Kristoffer Cromwell, 41
  • Christopher Garrett, 41
  • Jacob Hughes, 30
  • Bodler Laplante, 34
  • Daniel Mclaughlin, 27
  • Joshua Venteicher, 41
  • Randy Wright, 34

LCSO said the arrests were all part of an operation that deputies conducted.

Each one faces at least one count of obscene communication or travel to meet after using a computer to lure a child.

Many of the text messages sent by these men are too graphic to mention, but clearly, Cosme Bejaran knew what he was doing was wrong.

He said, “If I get caught with a girl like you, I will go to prison forever,” and, “Have you ever seen the show ‘How to Catch a Predator?'”

When Bejaran showed up to meet with the underage girl, he saw deputies and ran. The sheriff’s office said he jumped into a canal.

When they caught him, they found condoms in his pocket.

He’s still in custody, but some of the other men are not. They have bonded out of jail.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.