A former Jacksonville Sheriff's Office corrections officer who was charged with sexual battery of a child nearly four years ago has been arrested in St. Johns County Tuesday after allegedly using the internet to solicit a child for sex
The St. John's County Sheriff's Office says Clarence Bernard Thomas, 28, is one of the nine men arrested and charged similarly after “Operation Downpour,” a two-week campaign conducted by specially-trained detectives.
“We had detectives from several sheriffs’ offices, a couple of police departments, and some federal agencies as well, that all posed with different personas online,” SJSO public information officer Chuck Mulligan explained Wednesday.
Under that guise, the undercover detectives arranged to meet with suspects at locations in St. Johns County. Once there, the suspects were arrested on charges of attempting to solicit children.
The suspects ranged in age from 18-34 and face numerous felony charges.
Thomas resigned from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in 2015 after pleading guilty to a charge of child abuse. That plea was part of a deal that reduced the charge from one of unlawful intercourse with a minor. The alleged encounter involved a student at Westside High School, where Thomas served as a coach. According to records, Thomas’ penalty was two days of unsupervised probation and $600 to cover court costs. Although his current case will be prosecuted in Florida’s Seventh Circuit, which includes St. Johns County, the 2015 case was heard in the Fourth Circuit. David Chapman, spokesman at the State Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville, sent a statement Wednesday, including the following:
“If a member of law enforcement used a position of authority to facilitate or commit a crime, that certainly would be an aggravator that we would take into account in reaching a resolution of the case. On the other hand, if their position of authority had nothing to do with the crime, we would handle the matter no differently than we would handle similar offenses committed by other people.”
Chapman also reminded that the 2015 case was prosecuted by different personnel.
Of the nine arrested, only Thomas’ mugshot and address were withheld. That’s because of his status as a former law enforcement officer, despite the circumstances at the time he resigned.
“If you’re a former law enforcement officer, because of the nature of that work and potentially having enemies that stem from that,” Mulligan explained, “you are exempted. If you ask for it, [you can] have your photograph and your address and your date of birth exempted.”
But, just as the State Attorney’s Office insisted that law enforcement officers don’t receive partial treatment – the State Attorney’s Office even implied that being an officer is more likely to work against than in favor of a suspect – Mulligan postulated that Thomas’ record, not his resume, will get attention.
“The fact that he has been an offender, at least in the past, that will obviously potentially come to light with the judges and the prosecutors, and they’ll handle that appropriately on their side,” Mulligan said.
The suspects and their charges are as follows:
Clarence Bernard Thomas, 28, Jacksonville
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Behavior
- Traveling to meet a minor for sex
- Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- Solicit a child for sex
Bonds totaled $12,500
Michael Edward Beck II, 21, Jacksonville
- Solicit a child for sex
- Traveling to meet a minor for sex
- Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery
- Transmission of Harmful Material to Minor
- Possession of Marijuana
Bonds Totaled $33,000
Jhony Antonio Chacon-Montiel, 34, Jacksonville
- Travel to meet a minor for sex
- Unlawful use of a two-way communications device
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery
- Use a computer to solicit a child for sex
No Bond
Ethan Nathaniel Persson, 18, St. Augustine
- Solicit a child for sex
- Traveling to meet a minor for sex
- Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery
Bonds Totaling $35,000
Joshua Ryan Blankenship, 28, Green Cove Springs
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery
- Unlawful use of a two-way communications device
- Travel to meet a minor for sex
- Use a computer to solicit a child for sex
- Possession of a Controlled substance w/o prescription
- Possession of Methamphetamine
No Bond
Matthew Bernard Browne, 28, Gainesville
- Traveling to meet a minor for sex
- Solicit a child for sex
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery
- Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
Bonds Totaling $35,000
Orion Kade Healy, 19, Palm Coast
- Traveling to meet a minor for sex
- Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- Solicit a child for sex
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery
- Tampering with Evidence
Bonds totaled $45,000
Raymomd Edward Wygant, 25, Washington
- Solicit a child for sex
- Traveling to meet a minor for sex
- Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery
Bonds Totaling $32,500
Ernie Mendoza Aleman, 31, California
- Solicit a child for sex
- Traveling to meet a minor for sex
- Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- Attempted Lewd and Lascivious Battery
Bonds Totaling $50,000
Several agencies, including the FBI, Homeland St. Security and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, were involved in the operation, according to deputies.
