OXFORD – Three men were arrested in Oxford as part of a joint sex crimes operation targeting people accused of attempting to meet minors for sexual purposes, according to the Oxford Police Department.
The operation, known as Operation Muddy Waters, was conducted July 22 with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and other federal, state and local agencies.
Oxford police investigators worked with partner agencies to identify and apprehend suspects accused of trying to entice children for sexual purposes.
Authorities identified those arrested as 68-year-old Dennis Russell Cooper of Oxford; 29-year-old Laynez-Gonzalez Oseas Neftali of Memphis, Tennessee; and 33-year-old Argueta Cristian Abel Giron of Rossville, Tennessee.
All three were charged with enticement of a child to meet for sexual purposes.
They were transported to the Lafayette County Detention Center and booked on the charges.
“We appreciate all of our law enforcement partners and the work of the investigators involved in this operation,” Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen said. “Protecting children and holding accountable those who seek to exploit them is a responsibility we take very seriously.”
Police also encouraged parents and guardians to talk with children about online safety and the risks of communicating with people they do not know online.
All three men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
