Beginning last Wednesday, Amador County Sheriff's deputies participated with the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department in a sting of known sex offenders. The sting was in accordance and cooperation with several other law enforcement agencies. In addition to Amador County and Tuolumne County Deputies, the sting included officers from San Joaquin, Calaveras, Stanislaus, and Merced. Wednesday kicked off the three day operation to increase federal prosecutions of violent sexual predators and to reduce the number of Internet crimes against children, including child pornography. In the course of Thursday's and Friday's operation, called Valley Predator, law enforcement officers contacted 160 people required to register as sex offenders, according to a press release. During the operation, detectives raided pre-selected homes of registered sex offenders living in several counties. The purpose was to ensure that the offenders are in compliance with the terms of their releases and to search for any evidence relating to additional crimes.
Out of those offenders, 55 were arrested for failing to comply with registration requirements. The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department alone made contact with 14 sex registrants and all were in compliance with the terms of their release. In Calaveras County, Two registrants had arrest warrants for unrelated charges and were arrested. Jimmy Arnold was arrested for violation of parole and has been transported back to prison. Richard Cadle Jr. was arrested for Violation of Probation and is currently being held in the Calaveras County Jail on $50,000 bail. Investigators are not prepared to release details of the arrests at this time. Investigators are also forwarding 3 separate cases to the Calaveras County District Attorneys Office for evaluation.
