Federal authorities recently arrested a Fort Carson soldier and four other civilians on allegations of attempting to meet a minor for sexual activities in a child exploitation operation. The suspects had agreed to meet the juvenile at a predetermined location following online conversations.
According to a statement from the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Rocky Mountain Field Office, the unidentified soldier is assigned to the 10th Special Forces Command and was apprehended, along with the other four civilian suspects, by federal investigators after a two-day operation from March 17th-18th.
The release highlighted that the accused soldier would be referred to the Army for prosecution while the other four civilian suspects will be referred to civilian courts for prosecution.
Ryan O’Connor, the special agent-in-charge, stated in the release, “These predators exist in the community, and we want to send the message that we will do whatever it takes to bring them to justice.”
According to City of Fountain Government in Colorado, 26-year-old Josef Smith, another Fort Carson soldier, was arrested earlier this year for alleged sexual exploitation of children. The city reported on the story after Smith was arrested following a search warrant. The Facebook post stated that Smith “was arrested on February 8, 2023, at approximately 9:30 AM. He was booked into the El Paso County Justice Center on felony charges related to the Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material).”
According to Military Times, Maj. Russell M. Gordon, a spokesperson for 1st Special Forces Command, said, “We are aware of the incident regarding Army CID’s apprehension of a 10th Special Forces Group [s]oldier.”
“Army CID referred the [s]oldier to the command, where he will face consideration for legal action in accordance with the uniform code of military justice,” he continued. “We will continue to cooperate with CID and law enforcement authorities. We strongly condemn this alleged misconduct, which is not compatible with Army and Special Operations values to which the overwhelming majority of our [s]oldiers abide by.”
