In February, 2023, a multi-agency sting operation led to the arrest of a Montrose man, who is accused of arranging to pay for acts of sexual abuse with minors. He was arrested on suspicion of soliciting child prostitution and drug offenses. He had been arrested during an undercover, proactive investigation to prevent human trafficking by identifying and arresting people seeking “to solicit minors for commercial sex” and thus contribute tothe  crime of human trafficking. The man allegedly responded to an ad undercover operatives placed on a website known by law enforcement as one that was used by human traffickers and their “customers.” His arrest affidavit alleged that the man communicated with an undercover agent and arranged to pay $300 for access to sexually abuse 12-year-old and a 14-year-old girls. Multiple texts between the suspect and the agent occurred to make arrangements to meet. The man showed up near the designated meeting place and texted the agent “I’m here.” A female agent went to meet him, then returned to a nearby hotel. Officers working surveillance spotted a truck in a nearby parking lot and determined the man behind the wheel matched the suspect’s driver’s license photo. They watched the driver pull into the lot of a nearby restaurant and begin using his phone. The undercover agent received a call from the suspect’s number, and the man allegedly told the agent he wanted oral sex with the 14-year-old and agreed to pay $75 for the act, without a condom. The suspect voluntarily spoke with a Montrose County Sheriff’s Office Investigator after being advised of his rights. He allegedly admitted to arranging to “have sex with a girl” and stated she was 14, but said, although he knew it was illegal, “he did not intend to actually do it.” A local news report said that, according to state law, simply affording a person the opportunity to commit a crime is not entrapment, even if “representations or inducements” are made to overcome his or her fear of getting caught. If a person can demonstrate he or she wouldn’t have committed a crime, were it not for inducement, and that the methods used to gather evidence for prosecution of a crime created a substantial risk that he or she would engage in the crime, then entrapment could be available as a defense. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation led the operation, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations’ Colorado Cyber Guardian Task Force, the Montrose Police Department, Montrose County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office.