09/23/2026
This was in our own backyard. If you think it doesn’t happen here, that’s your kids are safe- the threat is EVERYWHERE!
News Release: Aurora Police Internet Luring Operation Nets 13 Arrests for Child S*x Crimes.
The Aurora Police Department Special Victims Section recently led a multi-agency internet luring and human trafficking operation targeting child s*xual offenders, which ended with 13 arrests.
The operation, named Stopping Adults From Exploiting (SAFE) Kids, was motivated in part by the passage of Colorado Senate Bill 26-15, which elevated internet luring of a child for commercial s*xual activity to a Class 3 felony from a Class 5 felony. The new law also established mandatory minimum prison sentences of 4-12 years in alignment with similar offenses, such as pimping, procuring and pandering a child.
Among the 13 suspects arrested, two were already registered s*x offenders, seven brought s*xual devices, one brought ketamine, another brought vodka and one brought a fi***rm. The average age of the suspects was 39 years old, with the oldest being 65 and the youngest 21.
“In today’s online world, offenders who seek to s*xually exploit children can do so behind closed doors and out of public view, which is why proactive police work is so important in exposing these crimes,” said Lt. Seth Robertson, who oversees the Aurora Police Department’s Special Victims Section. “The people we encountered during this operation knew exactly what they were doing; some arrived with s*xual devices, drugs or alcohol they intended to provide to or use with someone they believed to be a minor.
“Without proactive investigations like this, much of this criminal activity would remain hidden from the public and, more importantly, these individuals could have gone on to victimize a child.”
Planning for Operation SAFE Kids began in May when detectives identified websites where child internet luring and human trafficking activity is taking place. When the operation began in mid-August, detectives used undercover, minor-aged personas to engage with suspects online.
Among those 13 arrested suspects, four initially stopped chatting with the undercover personas online once they learned they were underage, only to later re-engage in conversations on their own.
“Several suspects traveled from communities across the Denver metro area and many arrived with the exact amount of cash discussed for s*xual services, despite being told they were communicating with someone underage,” said Investigations Bureau Cmdr. Marc Paolino. “Their actions, including the time and effort they took to arrange and pursue these encounters, demonstrate the seriousness of their intent.”
The 13 suspects arrested during Operation SAFE Kids include:
➡️ Jeffrey Lutsk, 65, of Aurora, was arrested July 17 on felony charges of internet luring of a child, internet s*xual exploitation of a child and attempted s*xual assault of a child. He is in custody on $50,000 bond at the Arapahoe County Jail.
➡️ Frank Herman, 21, of Arvada, was arrested Aug. 20 on felony charges of attempted s*xual assault of a child, internet luring of a child, s*xual exploitation of children, patronizing a prostituted child and solicitation of child prostitution. He is free on $25,000 bond.
➡️ Kristopher Dominguez, 29, of Denver, was arrested Aug. 20 on felony charges of attempted s*xual assault of a child, internet luring of a child, s*xual exploitation of children, patronizing a prostituted child and solicitation of child prostitution. He is free on $50,000 bond.
➡️ Thomas Wohlman, 58, of Denver, was arrested Aug. 27 on felony charges of habitual s*xual offender of a child, attempted engaging in commercial s*xual activity with a child and solicitation of child prostitution. He is free on $75,000 bond.
➡️ Jonathan Kranich, 41, of Centennial, was arrested Aug. 27 on felony charges of attempted s*xual assault of a child, internet luring of a child, patronizing a prostituted child and soliciting for commercial s*xual activity with a child. He is free on $75,000 bond.
➡️ Jesus Cedillo, 45, of Aurora, was arrested Aug. 27 on felony charges of soliciting for commercial s*xual activity with a child, patronizing a prostituted child and attempted engaging in commercial s*xual activity with a child. He is in custody on $25,000 bond at the Arapahoe County Jail.
➡️ Samuel Wahlgren, 32, of Denver, was arrested Aug. 27 on felony charges of attempted engaging in commercial s*xual activity with a child, patronizing a prostituted child and solicitation of child prostitution. He is free on $30,000 bond.
➡️ Danny Davis, 62, was arrested Aug. 28 on felony charges of internet luring of a child, soliciting for commercial s*xual activity with a child and attempted engaging in commercial s*xual activity with a child. He is free on $25,000 bond.
➡️ Devar Lewis, 27, of Aurora, was arrested Aug. 28 on felony charges of internet luring of a child, patronizing a prostituted child and attempted solicitation for commercial s*xual activity with a child. He is in custody on $50,000 bond in the Arapahoe County Jail.
➡️ Joshua Tarver, 36, was arrested Aug. 28 on felony charges of patronizing a prostituted child and attempted solicitation for commercial s*xual activity with a child. He is free on $25,000 bond.
➡️ Hikmat Hikmat, 23, of Castle Pines, was arrested Aug. 28 on felony charges of attempted s*xual assault of a child, patronizing a prostituted child and solicitation for commercial s*xual activity with a child. He is free on $25,000 bond.
➡️ Robert Titus, 37, of Aurora, was arrested Aug. 29 on felony charges of internet luring of a child, attempted s*xual assault of a child and internet s*xual exploitation of a child. He is in custody on $75,000 bond at the Arapahoe County Jail.
➡️ Fermin Rivera-Garcia, 33, was arrested Aug. 29 on felony charges of solicitation for commercial s*xual activity with a child and patronizing a prostituted child. He is free on $25,000 bond.
Operation SAFE Kids was a multi-agency effort featuring resources from the Aurora Police Department’s Special Victims Section, which is composed of the S*x Crimes, Special Victims, Crimes Against Children, Internet Crimes Against Children, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking units. Several local, state and federal partner agencies also participated in the operation, including the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
The investigations are active and ongoing, and detectives are interested in speaking with anyone who might have information about additional criminal activity involving the 13 suspects.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
