Maui Police Arrests 3 Men Involved In Online Teen Sex Sting

Maui police arrested three men in an online sting operation where teens were being arranged to meet people for sex on Wednesday.

The three men were charged with felonies after they allegedly arranged a meeting for sex with someone each believe to be a teenage girl in Kihei but was actually a plan where an undercover agent posed to be the 13-year-old girl online, the US News reported.

Kyle Cribben, 28, and Rodney Shimoda, 64, were charged separately with electronic enticement of a child and indecent electronic display to a child while the third offender, Joseph Montelongo, 34, was charged with electronic enticement of a child.

While Shimoda was released after paying a $22,000 bail, Judge Kirstin Hamman increased Cribben's bail to $500,000 in Wailuku District Court and Deputy Prosecutor Karen Drocoski described him as a "serious sexual predator" who reportedly participated in chats with the undercover officer, and despite the knowledge that the persona he was talking to online was supposedly 13, he still took an indecent photo and sent it electronically.

Cribben was arrested when he arrived at the meeting site monitored by the police and Deputy Public Defender Gustavo Gonzalez spoke against increasing his bail from the initial $22,000 amount set by police.

Meanwhile, Judge John Breen Montelongo's bail was increased to $100,000 and Deputy Public Defender Rachel Miyoshi requested for Montelongo to be released on supervision or his own recognizance stating having a virus emergency setting and Montelongo's lack of criminal history as reasons.

A fourth offender, Eric Duncan, 34, was arrested on Friday as part of the same sting operation and was charged with first-degree electronic enticement of a child nad was taken into custody with a $100,000 bail which Breen also set on Monday.

According to Deputy Public Defender Tyler Stevenson, Duncan has no prior records and is employed.