The Aurora Police Department has taken a 39-year-old man into custody following an extended sting operation designed to catch online predators. The suspect, identified as Daniel Oliver McCarthy, was arrested on charges of internet luring of a child and attempted sexual assault on a child after he was ensnared in an eight-month-long online predator operation. As detailed in a social media post from the Aurora Police Department, this operation was a collaborative effort involving Aurora's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, the Boulder County District Attorney's Office, Longmont PD, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The incriminating interaction began on March 29 when McCarthy responded to an advertisement posted during a two-day operation conducted in late March. Believing he was communicating with a 12-year-old girl, McCarthy continued to engage with the undercover persona, repeatedly trying to persuade the imagined child to run away and live with him in Greeley. The post by the Aurora Police Department emphasized the patience and diligence required in such operations, stating, "Patience isn’t just a virtue; it’s an investigative tactic."
When McCarthy arrived in Aurora with the expectation of meeting the supposed child for sexual purposes, he instead found himself confronted by APD officers ready to carry out his arrest. The situation escalated with the discovery of a loaded handgun in McCarthy's vehicle, immediately raising the gravity of the threat posed by the suspect. The Aurora Police Department lauded the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and the Colorado Cyber Guardian Task Force for their unwavering commitment, crediting their "grit, long hours, and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes work" for the successful outcome of the operation.
