Sheriff Bobby Jones reports that a forty-year-old man has been arrested and charged following an investigation into alleged online communications with individuals he believed to be minors.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. on September 7, Detective Lieutenant Matt Bryant with the Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Division, working in coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), met with members of KyPredoPursuit, an online organization that uses adult-operated decoy accounts to identify individuals attempting to arrange sexual contact with minors. Investigators reviewed communications involving a suspect identified as Raquel Gomez-Lopez, who had allegedly been using the name “Cirjio Gomes” online.
According to the investigation, Gomez-Lopez communicated with two separate decoy accounts through Facebook. In those conversations, Gomez-Lopez was informed that each decoy was fourteen years old. Investigators allege that Gomez-Lopez expressed his intent to engage in sexual activity with the purported minors and discussed providing alcohol to one of them.
On September 7, Gomez-Lopez allegedly traveled to a location in Somerset expecting to meet one of the purported fourteen-year-old minors. Investigators located Gomez-Lopez in the area and took him into custody. He was also found to have an active bench warrant in an unrelated matter.
Following the investigation, Gomez-Lopez was charged with:
- Unlawful Procurement of a Minor by Electronic Means
- Attempted Unlawful Transaction with a Minor in the First Degree
Both state offenses are classified as Class C felonies under Kentucky law. Bond was set at $30,000 cash.
At the time of his arrest for these charges, Gomez-Lopez was also placed under a federal detention order for being an illegal alien in the United States.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office reminds parents and guardians to remain aware of their children’s online activities and to report suspicious communications involving minors to law enforcement.
The investigation remains ongoing by Det. Lt. Bryant and ICE. Additional information may be released as it becomes available.