A 78-year-old man from Cleveland has been apprehended as part of a collaborative effort involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Neal David Wilfong was arrested, along with 15 other individuals from various parts of the state, on charges of indecent liberties with a child.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations recently released a statement announcing the arrest of these 16 individuals who have been accused of soliciting, sexually exploiting, or abusing children. The press release highlighted that a joint press conference was conducted on Friday to address the issue.

Operation Winter Guardian, a two-part initiative by the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (NCICAC), involved the combined efforts of 44 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The NCICAC is a nationally coordinated effort consisting of 61 regional task forces dedicated to combating internet crimes against children. In North Carolina, the task force is led by the NC State Bureau of Investigation’s Computer Crimes Unit, which works in partnership with over 250 agencies across the state.

The first phase of Operation Winter Guardian took place in January, primarily during the week of January 8th. Undercover law enforcement investigators engaged in online conversations with individuals seeking to meet minors for sexual activities. Some of these individuals traveled to a location in Gaston County, believing they were meeting a child for illicit acts.

The second phase of the operation involved executing search warrants at multiple locations across North Carolina that were identified as hubs for the distribution of child sexual exploitation images.

Kevin Roughton, the NCICAC commander and SBI special agent in charge, emphasized the importance of proactive investigations like Operation Winter Guardian in light of the increasing number of CyberTip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Roughton stated, “The cases in this operation had not been reported to anyone. Without the joint effort of our local and federal partner agencies, these offenders could still be engaging in the same criminal acts today. But even more importantly, the children who were safeguarded would likely continue to be victimized again and again without anyone knowing and no one coming to help them.”

Gaston County District Attorney Travis Page expressed gratitude for the successful completion of Operation Winter Guardian, highlighting the interagency cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Page also reassured the community of their commitment to holding sexual predators accountable and working tirelessly to create a safer living environment.

As a result of these investigations, at least five children have been identified and protected from ongoing sexual abuse. The following individuals have been arrested:

Gabriel John Yager, Apex, 23

– Seven counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Hunter Ray Fesperman, Hertford, 21

– Four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Larry Ray Haskins, Lenoir, 34

– One count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Jubonte Stevenson, New Bern, 36

– One count of first-degree statutory sex offense

Jonathan Paul Swiney, Asheboro, 43

– One count of second-degree child sexual exploitation of a minor

Scott Thomas Wallace, Wilmington, 53

– Three counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Johnathan Cody McCall, Swansboro, 36

– Ten counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

– Ten counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Jamie Tucker, Louisburg, 40

– Six counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

– Two counts of secret peeping

– One count of manufacturing schedule VI drugs

– One count of PWISD marijuana

– One count of maintaining/vehicle/dwelling/place

Nicholas Tyler Banks, Burnsville, 22

– One count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

– One count of failure to inform of new online identifier

– One count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Darryl Edwin Foley, Garner, 34

– Seven counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

– Ten counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

– Three counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult

– Two counts of first-degree statutory rape

Carmen Delia Foley, Garner, 31

– Thirteen counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

– Two counts of statutory sexual offense with a child by an adult

– Two counts of aiding and abetting first-degree statutory rape

Lance Skipper, Zebulon, 40

– One count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Barry Glenn Swinson, Randleman, 74

– One count of indecent liberties

– One count of solicitation of a child by computer for a sex act

David Anthony Roux, Charlotte, 35

– One count of indecent liberties

Zachary Dean Williams, Wadesboro, 27

– One count of indecent liberties

– One count of solicitation of a child by computer for a sex act