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A Prairie City man has been arrested on charges of enticing a minor under the age of 16 during multi-jurisdictional effort to intercept child sexual predators. Benjamin Michael Nyland, 29, was arrested May 29 after traveling to Marion County with the intent to commit an illegal sex act upon or sexually exploit a minor under the age of 16.
“I am so proud to be involved with this team of dedicated officers in taking these child predators off the streets. We are all committed to using any resources available to us to keep our children safe,” Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt said. “Parents need to make sure they are aware of who their kids are talking to and what social media applications they are using. We will prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law, and I will recommend all of these cases be reviewed for Federal Prosecution.”
Several law enforcement agencies including the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Pella Police Department, Pleasantville Police Department, Melcher-Dallas Police Department, Council Bluffs Police Department, the Mid Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Marion County Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Attorney’s Office and United States Marshals orchestrated the effect to catch child sexual predators and take them off the streets. Along with Nyland, three other arrests were made for individuals from Des Moines and West Des Moines.
“I’d like to thank the men and women from the many law enforcement agencies who made this project successful. Without their hard work and dedication, none of what we achieved on this day would have been possible,” Knoxville Police Chief Aaron Fuller said. “I want to urge all parents to take an active role in their children’s online activities. Ask questions and learn about the devices and apps your children use. Doing so may prevent your child from becoming a victim of the criminals we seek out daily.”