12 arrested in 3-day sex abuse sting
Those arrested included residents of Saratoga Springs, Mechanicville, Glens Falls
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y.» Warren County sheriff’s office and New York State police in conjunction with the FBI arrested 12 men over a three-day sting targeting sexual abuse offenses.
Saratoga Springs native Thomas J. Clancy III, age 21, was arrested by the Warren County sheriff’s office over the weekend and was charged with attempted rape in the second degree, a felony. He was arraigned in Queensbury County. Frank L. Gunter, age 61 of Mechanicville and a school bus driver of Mechanivcille Central School, was arrested by New York State and charged with second-degree criminal sexual act, a felony.
Warren County and the FBI have conducted an on-going investigation over the last six months, creating a task force. A Warren County officer was attached to a FBI department who dubbed this “Operation Spider Byte,” targeting individuals using social media to entice minors into sexual relationships.
All solicited in various criminal sexual acts with females ranging in ages from nine to 14.
“Nothing surprises me anymore. I’ve been doing it long enough that nothing really surprises me,” said Warren County sheriff Nathan H. “Bud” York. “It’s disgusting but it doesn’t surprise me.” All 12 admitted to the incidents. The case is still under investigation but at this point no children were harmed.
York said police will continue to work with the FBI in this endeavor.
York said there were some “trollers” out there that the police didn’t get, but there were quite a few that responded.
“You would not believe the number of predators that are out there,” said York. “It’s actually sickening.”
Some of the men brought drugs/alcohol and/ or sex paraphernalia to the location. The other 10 arrested were: *Jose Roberto Zapatas-Cruz, age 32 of Sche-
nectady, was charged with attempted rape in the second degree, a felony.
*Gerald F. Harrington II, age 36 of Queensbury, was charged with attempted rape in the second degree, a felony.
*Mark D. Hodges, age 63 of Latham, was charged with attempted rape in the first degree, a felony, attempted aggravated sexual abuse in the third degree, a misdemeanor.
*Roger P. Whiting III, age 43 of Queensbury, was charged with attempted rape in the second, a felony.
*Paul R. Wilson, age 31 of Fort Edward, was charged with attempted criminal sexual act in the second degree, a felony.
*Peter J. Fava, age 41 of Halifax, MA, was charged with attempted second-degree criminal sexual act, a felony.
*William K. O’Connell, age 46 of Fort Edward, was charged with attempted second-degree rape and attempted second-degree criminal sexual act, both felonies.
*Timothy Celeste, age 49 of Glens Falls and local radio DJ, was charged with second-degree criminal sexual act, a felony.
*Adam S. Hiedman, age 32 of Schenectady, was charged with second-degree criminal sexual act, a felony.
*Thomas G. Abrams, age 52 of Wappingers, was charged with second-degree criminal sexual act, a felony.
Police said of the attempted rape charge, that it is because they believed they were having sex with an underage child.
York said it’s “pretty serious when you involve nine and 14-year-old girls.”
“That’s sick. We in society got to start doing something about this, and when you get somebody that is convicted of having sex with a nine, 10, 11 year-old girl and they only go away for two years, there’s something wrong with the system. We need to change the system,” said York. “The legislatures need to change the system. If you’re going to abuse our children, you should be taken off the streets for life...when they get out they abuse another child and it affects another family, so we as a society got to start thinking about stricter penalties for these people that abuse our children. They are ruining our future.”