The Lee County Sheriff’s Office led a multi-agency sex offender sting that netted 14 arrests in July, including nine suspects from Lee County.

Sheriff Brian Estes made the announcement Wednesday in a press conference which included members of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, the Siler City Police Department, and many more.

Investigators working the case posed as children online and found suspects they said were willing to travel to them to engage in sexual activity. Most of the arrests were made in Lee County, although some – included a suspect in Las Vegas – were charged closer to their homes.

Estes said the individual cases aren’t believed to be related other than the arrests being made during the same operation.

Authorities charged the following individuals in the operation:

Michael Richard Shaw, 37, of Gunter Lake Road in Sanford faces three counts of statutory sex offense with a child.

Jerry Allen Smith, 52, of Sheriff Watson Road in Sanford faces 10 counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Aaron Levi Harvey, 31, of Chris Cole Road in Sanford faces three counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Kameron DeVaughn Petty, 19, of Deep River Road in Sanford faces three counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Gregory Jones, 60, of Edgewater Drive in Broadway faces 10 counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Wayne David Morelock, 67, of Albemarle faces one count of solicitation of a child by computer to commit sex acts

George Worth Watson, 67, of La Grange, Kentucky faces one count of solicitation of a child by computer to commit sex acts

Christian Cornell Cerrato, 24, of West Harrington Avenue in Broadway faces one count of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Bradley Kevin Lowe, 41, of Castle Hayne faces two counts of solicitation of a child by computer to commit sex acts.

Daniel Ortiz Alvarado, 22, of Buckhorn Road in Sanford faces eight counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Bobby Eugene Malone, 75, of Sheriff Watson Road in Sanford faces one count of solicitation of a child by computer to commit sex acts.

Francis Osgood Yan, 55, of Las Vegas faces one count of solicitation of a minor by computer, one count of attempted statutory rape of a child under 15, one count of indecent liberties with a minor, one count of attempted statutory sex offense with a child under 15, three counts of disseminating harmful material to a minor, and 12 additional charges in Nevada.

Jadon Michael Anderson, 28, of Hickory faces one count of solicitation of a minor by computer, one count of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of indecent liberties with a minor, and one count of disseminating harmful material to a minor.

Christian Guerrero, 19, of West Makepeace Street in Sanford faces two counts of felony second degree sexual exploitation of a minor.