Nineteen Southern California men were arrested last week during an undercover operation led by the Fresno County Sheriff's Department after allegedly attempting to meet with "preteen and early teenage old boys and girls" for purposes of sex, the department shared in a Monday announcement.
The operation, dubbed "Operation H.O.O.K," an acronym for "Hands Off Our Kids," ran concurrently with a Fresno Police Department operation in which police set up "online dates with suspected human trafficking victims."
The Fresno Police operation rescued nine suspected victims, according to Fresno County Sheriff spokesperson Tony Botti.
One of the men arrested during the sting was Mark McGill Jr., a 38-year-old Riverside County man, who at the time was employed as a U.S. Forest Service firefighter, assigned to the El Cariso Fire Station in Riverside County, a station under the direction of the Rancho Bernardo-based Cleveland National Forest.
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McGill Jr. allegedly arrived at a meeting site, believing he was meeting a teenaged girl, in a department fire engine with the intent of having sex with a teenage girl, Botti added.
"The U.S. Forest Service is aware of an arrest that involved an employee and we are cooperating with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office in this matter," wrote Cleveland National Forest Public Affairs Officer Nathan Judy.
"Since this is a personnel matter, we have no additional information to share," Judy added
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Judy confirmed that the employee offered the agency his resignation, which the agency accepted.
Botti told NBC 7 that McGill bonded out of jail with bail set at $30,000 and was assigned a later court date.
The Fresno County Sheriff's department did not share what specific charge or charges McGill was arrested for, however, advised "the most common charge for [all those arrested] is arranging to meet with a minor with the intent of engaging in sex," which, in California, can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony.
