In a significant law enforcement operation, two men have been arrested on child pornography charges, one in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and the other in Texas, with the rescue of two young girls. Murfreesboro Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit effected the arrest of 44-year-old Edward Van Epps at the Knights Inn on July 9 following a search warrant, as reported by WKRN. Van Epps, a registered sex offender, has been charged with aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor.
An internet tip initiated the two-month probe that uncovered Van Epps's communication with Juan Gabriel Mendoza, a 33-year-old man from South Texas, who was allegedly providing him with sexually explicit photos of minors. The Murfreesboro Police revealed, that the ICAC Unit's mission, led by Detective Jenna Petersen, centers on safeguarding children both in the community and online, with the preservation of children's safety being the "number one goal," according to a statement obtained by WGNS Radio.
Homeland Security's involvement was instrumental in the operation, with Mendoza's arrest being facilitated by agents from Homeland Security in Nashville and the Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Investigation Task Force in Texas, along with the collaboration of the Cameron County (TX) District Attorney's Office. Mendoza, now detained at Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center with a bond set at $300,000, faces two counts of sexual performance by a child, as described in reports from Sumner County Source.
Meanwhile, Van Epps is being held at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $175,000 bond and is awaiting a court hearing scheduled for July 22.
