Two people face felony charges after Wagoner County deputies say they communicated with a decoy posing as a 14-year-old during an undercover sting near Broken Arrow.
Julie Arnold and Joseph Hunt were arrested Sunday, Oct. 18, and booked into the Wagoner County Detention Center, KTUL reported. Both were charged with lewd or indecent proposals or acts to a child and facilitating sexual conduct with a minor. Bond was set at $100,000 for each defendant.
Court records identify Lauren Blake as appointed counsel for both defendants. Their preliminary hearing conferences are scheduled for Nov. 18.
The Wagoner County Sheriff's Office conducted the operation in partnership with Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA), a nonprofit that helps law enforcement investigate online child sexual exploitation.
According to the sheriff's office, the suspects reached out to a decoy deployed by an undercover deputy. The decoy stated at the start of the conversation that they were 14 years old. Neither suspect expressed concern about the age, the sheriff's office said, and both allegedly engaged in explicit conversations about sexual acts.
Deputies obtained and executed a search warrant at a residence near South 209th East Avenue and East 51st Street in Broken Arrow. Arnold and Hunt were taken into custody without incident. Deputies recovered multiple electronic devices and other digital evidence for forensic examination.
"When someone uses the internet to engage in sexually explicit conversations with someone they believe to be a child, we will investigate and pursue every available avenue to hold them accountable," Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott said.
The sheriff’s office has also reported a separate SOSA-assisted operation conducted Sept. 15–16, according to Fox 23.
Residents can report suspicious online communications to the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office or local law enforcement.
