PHOENIX – A retired deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was found guilty in Arizona for inviting minors. Authorities announced on tuesday.
Jeffrey York, 68, was found guilty last Friday by a Yabapai County ju judge last Friday of sexual exploitation and seducing a minor in two attempts to commit sexual acts.
Prescott residents could face up to 26 years and three months at Arizona State Jail. His ruling will be held on February 28 by Michael McGill of Yabapai County Superior Court.
How did the authorities track down the retired LA vice?
Local law enforcement agencies worked with the FBI Task Force on Human Trafficking to host an online undercover sting operation on September 30, 2023 to target individuals trying to have sex with minors.
York tried to have sex that he believed was a 7-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl.
The 68-year-old continued to talk to the children on social media, texting and calling again. In these conversations, the former Los Angeles aide detailed the sexual acts he had planned to play as a minor.
York then traveled to an arranged gathering spot, where he was later arrested.
“The adults who prey on children have no place in our community,” the Dennis McGrand County lawyer said in a press release.
“The fact that Mr York was a retired law enforcement officer is the harsh betrayal of the oath he once received and the many excellent officers who served the community with distinction and honor and ultimately put Mr York on trial. I hope that the long prison sentences Mr York faces will send a clear message that sexual predators are not welcome in Yabapai County. Let’s be clear. If you try to abuse a child here, you will be arrested in my office and proactively charged.”
