LAKE CITY, Fla. — Juan Ignacio Cruz Hernandez was arrested by the Lake City Police Department on Wednesday following an undercover operation targeting online child exploitation.
Detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children unit took Hernandez into custody after he allegedly made arrangements to meet a minor.
Hernandez communicated with an undercover detective whom he believed to be a teenage girl.
According to investigators, Hernandez engaged in sexually explicit conversations and made arrangements to retrieve the child for a planned meeting.
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Officers with the Lake City Police Department took Hernandez into custody without incident.
Following the arrest, he was transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
The department is asking anyone with information regarding this case or other potential crimes to contact investigators at (386) 752-4343. Reports can also be submitted anonymously through the LCPD TIPS line at (386) 719-2068 or Crime Stoppers of Columbia County at (386) 754-7099.
Detectives are continuing their investigation to determine if Hernandez committed similar offenses in other jurisdictions.
The Lake City Police Department will coordinate formal charges against Hernandez with the State Attorney’s Office.
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