Over a dozen men ranging in ages from 57 to 21 and one 17-year-old juvenile have been arrested in a large human trafficking bust as well as charges related to contacted a minor for lewd purposes.
The full release can be seen below:
Bakersfield – Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer announced the results of a significant Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation operation that was conducted in Bakersfield this week. Between April 20, 2022 and April 23, 2022, a multi-agency human trafficking and child exploitation operation was conducted in Bakersfield by local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, including Kern County Human Trafficking Task Force investigators from the Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the Kern County Probation Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Kern County District Attorney’s Office, FBI, Fresno Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Parole Unit, and the United States Secret Service.
The operation yielded 18 arrests. Those arrested during the operation were arrested for a variety of charges, including Penal Code section 266H (Pimping), 266I (Pandering), 288.2(a) (Sending Harmful Material to Seduce a Minor), and 288.4(b)(Arranging Meeting with Minor for Lewd Purpose).
The following individuals were arrested in the operation:
1. Juan Carlos GONZALEZ (9/12/95)
2. Oscar Gonzalez-OYALO (11/18/97)
3. David N. STOKES (1/21/61)
4. Hugo Ramos INGA (4/13/78)
5. Luis AGUILAR (2/24/97)
6. Isiah Kyli CHAPMAN (2/8/97)
7. Jose LOZANO (7/27/95)
8. Jose Donaciano VALDEZ (11/22/64; CDCR employee)
9. Alyiaha Delany DANIELS (2/2/95)
10. Emmo CASTRO-Santos (4/19/93)
11. Eduardo David ROJAS-Rosas (10/17/00)
12. Timothy Lee OVERTURF (1/14/81)
13. Andrew MEDINA (6/17/87)
14. Ovidio LOPEZ (10/17/85)
15. Michael Tyrone HOOD (10/31/96)
16. Ronnie HOBBS (10/29/78)
17. JUVENILE (5/26/04)
18. Willie Donte BROWN (3/14/88)
19. Frank Andrew BROWN (5/9/80)
Jose Donaciano Valdez, one of the above noted persons arrested in the operation, was then employed by the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation as an acting Lieutenant. Valdez is alleged to have attempted to meet with a 13-year-old (who was an undercover officer) at a hotel for lewd purposes. Cases will be reviewed by the Kern County District Attorney’s Office for potential charges related to the arrests.
In total, the operation has resulted in arrests for three individuals attempting to contact juveniles for lewd purposes via social media and/or dating apps, as well as six individuals attempting to solicit sexual acts in exchange for cash, and five alleged pimps. The operation resulted in the identification and recovery of five victims of human trafficking.
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented on the success of the operation, stating,
“Maintaining a strong law enforcement presence in social media, dating apps, and physical locations
where human trafficking is known to occur is an important element of suppressing human trafficking. The success of this operation shows the commitment of law enforcement to combating human trafficking and offers a glimpse into how prevalent trafficking-related crimes are within our state.”
Bakersfield Police Department Chief Greg Terry also spoke on the operation, stating, “This operation is yet another example of our ongoing efforts to protect our most vulnerable populations from sexual predators. The Bakersfield Police Department will continue to leverage our relationships with local, state and federal law enforcement partners in an effort to disrupt and stop the victimization of our children.”
