Two Bellingham men among seven arrested in Snohomish County ‘Net Nanny’ sting
Two Bellingham residents were among seven men arrested in a recent Snohomish County “Operation Net Nanny” sting by the Washington State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies targeting those involved in sexual abuse and exploitation of children through the internet.
Nicholas Jerman, 25, and 38-year-old Eric R. Orth, both of Bellingham, were among the seven individuals arrested in the latest operation led by the State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force, an Internet Crimes Against Children affiliate, according to a State Patrol release Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Also arrested were: Colin M. Wood, 31 of Seattle; Richard E. Rettig, 56 of Monroe; Anthony J. Scott, 23 of Everett; Kevin F. Pickett, 34 of Arlington; and Michael A. Barbee, 21 of Everett.
All seven cases will be reviewed by the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to determine if criminal charges should be filed, the release said.
According to the State Patrol probable cause statements, Jerman and Orth were both arrested on suspicion of attempted second-degree rape of a child and communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
According to the statements, police created uncover profiles on popular internet dating and social media websites acting uncover as a 13-year-old girl. Jerman and Orth each reportedly contacted the undercover detectives — Jerman on Thursday, Jan. 23, and Orth on Saturday, Jan. 25 — and expressed interest in having a sexual relationship with the 13-year-old girl.
Each then followed the detectives’ instructions on meeting with the 13-year-old on Saturday in Snohomish County, where they were arrested, the statements said.
The arrests come following the 18th “Operation Net Nanny” sting led by the taskforce. Since the first operation in 2015, the taskforce has arrested 294 individuals and rescued more than 31 children across the state, according to the release.
“While the internet is a powerful tool for information in people’s lives, criminals use the same technology to commit unspeakable crimes against vulnerable populations, including the young,” State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste said in the release. “Working with our local, state and federal partners in law enforcement in operations like Net Nanny, we use every available resource to pursue the guilty and protect the innocent.”
Jerman has no known other criminal history in Whatcom County or the state of Washington, court records show, while Orth has two active cases in Whatcom County District Court for traffic violations.
The State Patrol, along with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, announced in December 2017 that it made 20 arrests in a similar Net Nanny operation in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
“This is eye-opening. This is not a city problem, it’s not a county problem, it’s not even a state problem — this is a national issue. We’re just at the tip of the iceberg for disconcerting crimes that are out there,” Lt. James Mjor of the State Patrol said at the time of those arrests.
Mjor said it’s important for parents to take an active role in supervising their children’s activity online and advised them to know who their children are chatting with, because “that could very well be an adult communicating with our children.”
Of the 20 men arrested in the Whatcom County Operation Net Nanny, 14 of them still have pending cases in Whatcom County Superior Court. Of the six that were sentenced, one was given three months in jail, while the other five were sentenced to prison, court records show.
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 2:59 PM.
