Two Fort Carson Staff Sergeants, 6 others arrested in child prostitution sting
Staff Sgt. Ning Wang, 45, and Staff Sgt. Kirtis Davis, 23 have been arrested after an investigation in a child prostitution sting, Six others named in the official press release below were also arrested and being held.
Armytimes reported after receiving an email from the Colorado Springs Police: “In addition to ‘Soliciting for Child Prostitution’ (a class three felony), the District Attorney also added on the charge of ‘Criminal Attempt – Sexual Assault on a Child’ (that is a class five felony) for the eight individuals arrested, including Davis and Wang,” Colorado Springs police spokesperson Natashia Kerr wrote.
Colorado Springs Police official report of 5 November: On October 23 and 24, 2020, a joint Law Enforcement operation conducted in Colorado Springs identified and arrested persons seeking to pay to have sex with children under the age of 18. This undercover investigation and subsequent arrests were made possible through the efforts of the following agencies:
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation
- Colorado Springs Police Department [Human Trafficking Investigations Unit]
- Colorado State Patrol
- District Attorney’s Office [Fourth Judicial District of Colorado]
- US Department of Homeland Security – Investigations
The investigation resulted in the arrest of eight adult males for 18-7-402 Soliciting for Child Prostitution, a Class Three Felony. All eight arrestees were transported and booked into the El Paso County Jail. Their booking photos are attached at the conclusion of the attached press release.
- Steven Druckenmiller, 40-years-old, of Colorado Springs
- Richard Nance, 32-years-old, of Pueblo
- Daric Grimes, 42-years-old, of Security, Colorado
- Trevor Skoczen, 31-years-old, of Colorado Springs [also arrested for Internet Luring of a Child, F4]
- Kirtis Davis, 23-years-old, of Colorado Springs
- Ning Wang, 45-years-old, of Oakland, California
- Hong Lin, 32-years-old, of Colorado Springs
- Mark Necessary, 58-years-old, of Colorado Springs
“Law enforcement agencies across Colorado are committed to working together to protect our state’s children from predators. From all of us at the Colorado Springs Police Department, we would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our partner agencies, without whom this operation would not have been possible,” says Colorado Springs Police Department Chief Vince Niski.
“Human Trafficking is one of the most difficult crimes to detect and curtail, but there may be no more important use of our time, skill, and resources,” said CBI Director John Camper. “The CBI was pleased to work with the Colorado Springs Police Department and other public safety partners on this highly successful operation.”
“HSI special agents are proud to work closely with CSPD to target and arrest individuals who prey on children in Colorado Springs,” said Steven Cagen, special agent in charge, HSI Denver. “This operation sends a clear message, if you seek to harm a child, we will work tirelessly to find you and to bring you to justice.”
“It’s easy to look away and say ‘That’s not happening here’ but the truth is human trafficking is in our own backyard” said Captain Bill Barkley, commander of the Smuggling, Trafficking, and Interdiction Section of the Colorado State Patrol. “The incredible efforts by all participating agencies has made an impact, but there is still more to be done.”
Anyone with information or who is a witness to this investigation is asked to call the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000; or if you wish to remain anonymous, you may call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477..
During the month of October, the U.S. Marshals Service Offices in Southern Ohio and Southern West Virginia, in conjunction with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force participated in operation “Autumn Hope”.
Law enforcement agencies have warned of the exploitation of children which has spiked during the lockdowns ac schools have been shut down.
Operation Autumn Hope was a multi-agency enforcement operation focused on human trafficking and the location and recovery of missing and exploited children. During the operation 45 missing children were recovered by the U.S. Marshals and 179 arrests were made by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force. In addition, 20 children were located per the request of law enforcement to ensure the child’s well-being. The operation was supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and Ohio state and local agencies.
30 October: The U.S. Marshals in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia conducted a significant five-day law enforcement effort, dubbed “Operation Find Our Children,” throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia that resulted in the rescue of 27 previously missing children and confirmed the location of six additional children previously reported as missing and subsequently discovered by the U.S. Marshals Service as being in the custody of their legal guardian..
The Trump administration has prioritized the effort to round up sex traffickers, highlighting those that exploit children. Another Fort Carson Soldier was arrested last year as seen below by Denver7 news.
On August 31, 2019, Fort Carson Military Police arrested 19-year-old David Guerra (mugshot below) on a Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) warrant which included multiple felony charges such as, Soliciting for Child Prostitution, Patronizing a Prostituted Child, Inducement of Child Prostitution, and Keeping a Place of Child Prostitution.
The CSPD Vice/Human Trafficking Unit was first notified of Guerra on August 26, 2019, when a juvenile victim alerted detectives that Guerra proposed a sex-for-hire arrangement. Detectives quickly issued a warrant for his arrest. On August 31, 2019, in coordination with the CSPD, Military Police arrested Guerra on Fort Carson.
Following Guerra’s arrest, CSPD detectives made every effort to identify all of his victims; however, there may be more. If anyone believes they were a victim of Guerra or has any information on additional victims, please contact the CSPD Vice/Human Trafficking Unit at (719) 444-7729. If you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477