A release from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office

For Hub City Times

The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Wausau Police Department, and the Everest Metro Police Department organized a local task force team to conduct an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) operation called KG-2 Initiative. This operation was conducted Jan. 14 and 15.

The following are those arrested during this operation by the task force team, and their charges have been referred to the Marathon County district attorney’s office with initial appearances scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2 p.m.:

—Jacob Smith, 39, Neillsville.

—Use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.

—Child enticement.

—Christopher Kathamegos, 29, Tomahawk.

—Use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.

—Child enticement.

—Possession of drug paraphernalia.

—Richard Ross, 34, Marathon.

—Use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.

—Child enticement.

—Bret Harftvedt, 26, Schofield.

—Child enticement.

—Griffin Waldinger, 29, Wausau.

—Child enticement.

—Jason P. Weise, 41, Marshfield.

—Use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.

—Child enticement.

—Charles R. Howland, 24, Wausau.

—Use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.

—Child enticement.

The ICAC program and its operations were developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with potential underage victims. This operation was a proactive online investigation relating to the exploitation of children through the use of online personal advertisements, specifically targeting online predators who solicit children for the purpose of engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

With the assistance of multiple agencies, the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office conducted a two-day undercover operation to identify and arrest persons who exploit children using the internet.

All individuals involved arranged to meet a 15-year-old female.