Some of the suspects charged in connection with a Jackson Township sex sting came from as far away as Newcomerstown, Wooster and Cleveland. One works for a Canton women’s shelter preschool and is placed on unpaid leave.

JACKSON TWP. A man who works at a Stark County preschool was among 14 men from five counties accused of seeking sex with teenage boys and girls.

The investigation, organized by the Jackson Township Police Department and carried out by multiple agencies, was part of a four-day sting dubbed "Operation Unsportsmanlike Conduct."

The team of law enforcement officers engaged in online chats via undisclosed social media apps from Friday through Monday, portraying teens ranging in age from 12 to 15 years old, said township police Chief Mark H. Brink.

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The men, who contacted them via the apps, tried to arrange to meet for sexual activity. Authorities declined to release the apps in an attempt not to advertise them.

Some of the men who showed up also sent nude photos of themselves and others arrived with condoms and lubricant, according to Stark County Jail records.

"These offenders are preying on the vulnerability and curiosity of these children to victimize them not through force or coercion or the promise of money, but by simple grooming techniques and pretending to be interested in them," Brink said in a statement.

One of the men arrested works at the Canton YWCA preschool. The YWCA said it placed Jerry R. Ragsdale on unpaid administrative leave as soon as it learned of his arrest.

"While on administrative leave, Mr. Ragsdale does not have access to our facility," the statement read. "They YWCA has contacted the parents and guardians whose children had direct contact with Mr. Ragsdale. Our utmost concern is the safety and protection of our children who attend our preschool and utilize our services.

"The YWCA will continue to take every precaution necessary to protect our children."

The men arrived one-by-one at an undisclosed location, the chief said. The men — all of whom arrived to have sex with either a 14- or 15-year-old girl or a 15-year-old boy — were arrested and taken to the township police department, police said.

One suspect who arrived to meet a "15-year-old girl" for sex would’ve arrived sooner, but he sent a photo of his wife in the background, saying he could not leave until she left the house, Brink said.

When another man arrived to have sex with a 15-year-old boy realized the "boy" actually was a police officer waiting to arrest him, he ran. Brink said he only made it about 300 yards before officers caught up to and arrested him.

All but one were released a short time after their arrests on bond, which was set at $50,000 apiece.

Jackson Township Police held a press conference Tuesday detailing the sting.

While the arrests happened over a four-day period, the planning for the operation was conducted over a five-month period, said Stark County Sheriff George T. Maier.

According to the jail records, only one of the 14 arrested remained behind bars Tuesday morning. A fast-food worker from Wooster, who arrived in the township Monday afternoon to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, remained jailed Tuesday, held in lieu of $50,000 bond.

All of the suspects, who range in age from 20 to 73 and came from as far away as Newcomerstown, Wooster and Cleveland, were each arrested on felony charges of importuning and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, according to Stark County Jail records.

Maier said the men who were arrested were not the only ones in the operation.

Other men who were unknowingly chatting with undercover law enforcement officers portraying teenagers were actively talking "about perpetrating a crime against a juvenile, but then backed out," the sheriff said. Those men did not show up.

The investigation into such activity is continuing, more charges are pending and authorities are planning similar operations, according to Brink and Maier.

"We are going to continue to have a presence in this area," Brink said. "We want to get out in front of this issue; we don’t simply want to react to it. And we want these predators to know that if you think you’re going to meet up with a child in Jackson Township or Stark County, there’s a good chance that you’re going to meet up with a law enforcement agent."

The sheriff added, "Predator beware."

The charges on many of those who were arrested, while felonies, may rise to a higher level felony with stronger penalties, according to Maier.

"If there is more than 10 years between the age of the offender and the victim, then it enhances (the charge)," he said, adding that all of those arrested will go before a Stark County grand jury. "These are people who want to do harm to our children."

Brink and Maier cautioned parents to take a closer look at what their children are doing online.

"Get their passwords and know who they are talking to because there are some dangerous places out there (on the internet) for young people," the sheriff said.

Brink said online predators have been known to coerce youngsters into sending nude photos and then holding that over the child to coerce them into doing more dangerous behaviors that, in some cases, have led to human trafficking.

In addition to the sheriff’s office, other agencies assisting Jackson Township in Operation Unsportsmanlike Conduct included the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office, Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force or ICAC, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation in Canton, U.S. Secret Service in Cleveland, Ohio Investigative Unit, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Ohio Adult Parole Authority and the Uniontown, Perry Township, Massillon, Wooster, Carrollton, Streetsboro and Canton police departments.

Reach Lori at 330-580-8309 or lori.steineck@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @lsteineckREP