19 men arrested for child solicitation JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Investigators arrested 19 men on preliminary child solicitation charges during a three-day operation in Johnson County, according to Sheriff Duane Burgess. Burgess said his office worked with police departments in Franklin , Bargersville, Greenfield, and Westfield, along with county prosecutors. The agencies divided investigative work and arrest duties across the operation. The suspects range in age from 19 to 68. Since 2022, the county’s large-scale enforcement efforts have produced more than 100 arrests in similar stings, the sheriff’s office said. Burgess called the operation emotionally taxing, saying his “disgust of these men increased after learning of their intentions to exploit minors.” “Some of the verbiage that they are speaking to whom they think is a 14-year-old is very, very disturbing,” Burgess said. “You know what they want to do, their gratification, and it’s unbelievable. The conversation that these adults will have with children.” He said suspects used chat sites and apps to contact who they believed were underage children.  “They have different chat sites that these individuals are on, and they will contact or reach out to these individuals in hopes of meeting with an underage person,” Burgess said. The sheriff noted the arrests cut across demographics.  “That’s something that stands out too, it affects all walks of life,” Burgess said. “You don’t know what career path these people have, what their occupation is, but it touches everyone.” Residents react   Local parent Bree Taylor said the arrests made her feel safer.  “It makes me feel good because it’s a lot of kids going missing, so it shows that they’ve at least taken a step to try to stop it from happening,” Taylor said. Johnson County resident Gabriel Lewis said he feels relieved but wants social platforms to raise minimum age limits. “I think, to me, when you’re 16, you’re a little bit smarter about the decisions you make and you’re quicker to speak up if something goes wrong,” Lewis said. “So, I think that raising the minimum age to use these apps will go a long way to keeping folks safer.” Next steps   The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is working with prosecutors to build cases against the 19 men arrested. Formal charges are pending prosecutor review. ...read more read less