The executive director of a well-known LGBT resource center in California was one of 17 men arrested on suspicion of participating in a ring of sexual predators who sought to meet with minors for sex.
Gerad Slayton, 42, had recently been named executive director of the Rainbow Resource Center, based in Modesto, Calif. The center describes itself as a "non-profit queer resource center" that provides support to people of all ages.
The man was arrested during an undercover operation that was conducted over the course of months by the Turlock Police Department, along with other agencies. Slayton is accused of committing several serious sex-related crimes. At his court appearance, he pleaded not guilty. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 29.
The police operation
The director of the operation, Gina Giovacchini, said the undercover officers pretended to be children between the ages of 13 and 17 and used dating apps to lure suspects to a location. According to a press release published on the Turlock Police Department Facebook account:
On January 5th and 6th, 2024, the Turlock Police Department conducted an online chat operation in the city of Turlock. The mission of this operation was to catch predators that were seeking to meet with underaged children for the purpose of sexual activity.
With the support of the Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office Special Victim’s Unit (SVU), State Parole, and Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Special Victim’s Unit (SVU), officials were able to successfully arrest seventeen individuals on several felony sex-related charges.
Rainbow Resource Center statement
The Rainbow Resource Center posted a statement on its Facebook page stating that Slayton's alleged actions occurred outside of his capacity with the organization and "do not represent our organization's values or mission."
We want to assure our community that we take these allegations with the utmost seriousness. Mr. Slayton's actions do not represent our organization's values or mission. In accordance with our unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards of conduct and integrity, we are addressing the issue within the Rainbow Resource Center.
The arrested men
All of the arrested men are being held on $500,000 bail and were identified as: Antoni Shahbaz Yangejeh (35 years old); Devin Greer Dacanay (22); Aaron Doub (41); Mario Dejesus (37); Salvador Núñez (28); Juan Viera Jr. (29); Justin Velez (37); Cesar Linarez Jr. (25); Bryce Wilkinson (19); Gerad Slayton (42); Armando Cárdenas (32); Leopoldo García Aquino (25); José, Herrera Sánchez (54); Andrew Godinez (21); Jesús Cerna Bernabé (29); Anthony Morrisette (41) and Fernando Delacruz Martínez (36).
