LIBERTY — Fourteen men arrested during a Sunday human-trafficking operation, targeting individuals seeking to buy sex via the internet, should be in Girard Municipal Court beginning today, Liberty Township police Chief Toby Meloro said.

“We received some intelligence that this kind of thing was happening, so we called in the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, which is a task force under the attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission,” Meloro said. “We want to send a message out there that we don’t want this kind of thing happening in our community.”

Those charged with soliciting, a third-degree misdemeanor, and possessing criminal tools, a first-degree misdemeanor, are:

l Willie Daniels Jr., 37, Youngstown;

l Saad Elamin, 43, Campbell;

l Omar Farooq, 37, Hermitage, Pa.;

l Thomas Hendricks, 66, Salem;

l Ryan Kirkpatrick, 26, residence unknown;

l Harry Krause, 63, Youngstown;

l Matthew Lennington, 28, Cortland;

l James Lohmier, 38, Boardman;

lNick Mymo, 37, Niles;

lBrian O’Nora, 57, Youngstown

David Shaffer, 46, Mineral Ridge

William Shaw Sr., 58, Moyock, N.C.

Brian Van Divner, 54, New Franklin

Johnny Young, 55, Youngstown

Liberty police had assistance Sunday from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, Austintown Police Department, Youngstown Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.

“John stings deter those seeking to purchase sex — reducing the demand for human trafficking — and serve as a reminder that these crimes are more prevalent and closer to home than you may think,” Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Hats off to Chief Meloro and the Liberty Township Police Department on their successful operation.”

Meloro said the township police, working with other area law enforcement agencies, did a similar operation about a year ago.

“Our goal is to keep Liberty safe and strong,” he said.

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