EVERETT — Detectives say eight men, including a teacher and a school bus driver for special-education students, answered the online post.
Instead of sex with a minor, they got a trip to the Snohomish County Jail.
There really was no 15-year-old girl who’d posted messages such as: “Bored and yng Want to have fun.”
There were, however, Snohomish County deputy sheriffs and U.S. Marshals waiting to see who might show up at agreed-upon destinations.
The sting was called Operation Anvil.
One of the accused was identified as Bryson A. Condotta, 34, a history teacher at Alderwood Middle School in the Edmonds School District.
Detectives believe he began emailing with the fictitious teen late Thursday night. The emails expressed reticence about the risk involved. One allegedly said he was a teacher and she was too young.
At one point, he allegedly sent a photo of himself from his classroom and suggested they communicate over a social media messaging app. The communications became more graphically sexual, according to court papers. They reportedly agreed to meet on Saturday at a Lynnwood apartment complex. A Toyota 4Runner registered to Condotta was parked in the apartment lot and he was arrested.
During an interview with detectives after his arrest, Condotta allegedly admitted the sexual messages were wrong. He insisted he was not at the apartment to have sex but to counsel the girl, court papers said.
The bus driver, also from the Edmonds School District, was identified as Ian A. Moore, 30, of Seattle. In a text message, he allegedly sent a photo of himself with the school bus. He also allegedly wrote: “Yes dropping 1 student off and heading to you.”
“He admitted he was chatting all day while driving the school bus transporting special-needs students,” court papers said.
Both the teacher and the bus driver have been placed on paid administrative leave, said Edmonds School District spokeswoman Debbie Joyce Jakala.
“We are deeply concerned,” Jakala said. “We are just trying to cooperate fully with law enforcement.”
Jakala said the district plans to communicate with families but is still learning more about the allegations.
Ages of those arrested ranged from 26 to 60 with hometowns of Bothell, Edmonds, Everett, Marysville, Mountlake Terrace, Seattle and St. Louis, Missouri.
Sheriff Ty Trenary said protecting the county’s most vulnerable is his agency’s top priority.
“Getting these predators off our streets makes our communities safer,” he said. “I’m especially thankful for the partnership and generous support we continue to receive from U.S. Marshals, making this type of operation possible.”
“Operation Anvil is just another example of what partnering together can accomplish in keeping our communities safer,” said U.S. Marshal’s Service Chief Deputy Jacob Green.
Detectives continue to process evidence collected in the sting operation, including cell phones and vehicles.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has worked closely with the U.S. Marshals Service since the creation of the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force in 2013. The task force was instrumental in apprehending John Reed, who is suspected of the execution-style murder of an Arlington area couple. Reed was arrested in Mexico.
The first two arrests in the sting operation occurred Thursday night, records show.
One of the men is 26 and from Marysville. He allegedly asked how old the fictitious girl was, agreed to meet in a parking lot of a closed south Everett business and wrote: “I could get in a lot of trouble just meeting,” court records show.
An Everett man, 51, allegedly was offering to pay for sex. He reportedly wrote: “Well if you’re not with the police and trying to do a sting I’ll give you 100.”
The last of the eight arrests was 1 a.m. Sunday.
The ads were posted in the “casual encounters” section of Craigslist, according to court records.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
