Seven men face charges after a two-day undercover Jefferson County human trafficking operation aimed at people seeking sex acts with minors, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.
Special agents with TBI’s Human Trafficking Unit worked with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Dandridge Police Department on the operation. Investigators carried it out on November 9 and 10.
Investigators placed decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex. According to TBI, the main goal was to identify people looking to engage in sex acts with minors. All seven suspects were booked into the Jefferson County Jail.
Who was charged
Six of the seven face one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor. A seventh, Yefri Yordan Martinez Majano, faces that charge plus a count of furnishing alcohol to a minor. TBI listed the following people:
- Christopher Chad Cress of Rural Retreat, Virginia: one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor
- Caleb Zachary Westmorland of Jasper: one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor
- Dong Keun Kim of Morristown: one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor
- Yefri Yordan Martinez Majano of Kodak: one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor and one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor
- Del Diego Arroyo of Morristown: one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor
- Freeman W. Beechy of Rogersville: one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor
- Kelly Travis Johnson of White Pine: one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor
The charges are accusations, not evidence. TBI noted that each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
Part of a wider effort
TBI has run similar operations elsewhere in the state. The bureau recently reported a Johnson City human trafficking operation that led to four arrests. You can find more of our coverage on the human trafficking topic page.
TBI posts information about human trafficking and its work on the crime at www.ITHasToStop.com. Anyone can report a suspected case by calling the Tennessee Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-855-55-TNHTH.
