CANADIAN COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – Five men, including two out-of-state suspects, were recently arrested following a four-day operation by the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office and Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) to catch predators seeking sexual contact with children in the county.

According to the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office, SOSA used two female agents to pose as 14 and 15-year-old girls and communicate with the suspects, including video chats, text messages, phone calls, and social media communications.

Authorities say the chats escalated to sexually graphic conversations very quickly.

Most of the predators sent nude photos and videos while talking to the decoys they believed to be underage females.

“The conversations with the predators were extremely disturbing including fetish demands, using names such as ‘Daddy’, graphic sexual acts they planned on doing to the children, and one predator talking about breeding with the female child,” said the sheriff’s office. “All suspects were also worried about being caught by law enforcement, and some asked the decoys to do live chats to ensure they were real people.”

The stings occurred at a decoy house, hotels, and restaurants – locations chosen by the suspects. Some asked the decoys to use rideshare companies to travel to them.

The Canadian County Sheriff’s Office says 22-year-old Trace Turkelson, of Elgin, 29-year-old William Copeland IV, of Calhan, CO, 27-year-old Cody Ewing, of Yukon, 41-year-old Tracy Fisher, of Tulsa, and 37-year-old Otha Smith III, of Linden, TX, were all arrested without incident during the stings.

Smith traveled five hours from Linden, Texas to meet who he believed to be an underage girl at a hotel in Mustang.

Mugshots of (L-R) Trace Turkelson, William Copeland IV, Cody Ewing, Tracy Fisher, and Otha Smith III
Mugshots of Trace Turkelson, William Copeland IV, Cody Ewing, Tracy Fisher, and Otha Smith III. Images courtesy Canadian Count Sheriff’s Office.

All five men cooperated with investigators and admitted to what their intentions were when they met the decoys, according to the sheriff’s office.

“This wasn’t the first time my office has worked with SOSA to apprehend child predators, and I hope they’ll continue be available to assist with our child predator program in the future,” said Chris West, Canadian County Sheriff. 

The suspects were arrested for Facilitating Sexual Communication with a Minor, Lewd Acts with a Child Under 16, Intent to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance to a Minor and Violations of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act, and booked into the Canadian County jail.