Chelan County detectives assist in multi-agency child exploitation sting

CHELAN COUNTY — Detectives from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office joined a regional task force last week in a two-day sting targeting suspected child predators in the Spokane area.

The operation, called “Operation Liberty Lake,” was led by the Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force (MECTF), an affiliate of the national Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) network. Local, state, and federal agencies collaborated in the effort, which focused on identifying and arresting individuals who allegedly attempted to solicit sex from underage children online.

The sting resulted in the arrest of 13 suspects, with another case pending federal indictment. Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sergeant Brian Lewis served as a team leader during the operation, while Detective Cy Bowthorpe assisted by securing key search warrants.

Investigators said all of the suspects live within typical driving distance of Chelan County — a range in which similar crimes have been reported.

Those taken into custody include:

• Michael Ferguson, 51, Spokane, WA
  
  
• Michael Lewis, 53, Fernwood, ID
  
  
• Ted Whittaker, 54, Coeur d’Alene, ID
  
  
• Jennifer Whittaker, 54, Coeur d’Alene, ID
  
  
• Rocky Dailey, 63, Greenacres, WA
  
  
• Trenton Watkins, 24, Spokane, WA
  
  
• Marco Bosnich, 42, Spokane, WA
  
  
• John Johnson, 37, Chattaroy, WA
  
  
• Wesley Georgius, 62, Coeur d’Alene, ID
  
  
• Ilijah Karasek, 24, Sandpoint, ID
  
  
• Kyle White, 31, Spokane, WA
  
  
• Dylan White, 33, Rathdrum, ID
  
  
• Eric Boomer-White, 21, Spokane, WA
  
  

Charges under investigation include attempted first- and second-degree rape of a child, communication with a minor for immoral purposes, and sexual exploitation of a minor.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said operations like this remain a top priority for the agency, emphasizing the need to protect the region’s most vulnerable residents through ongoing cooperation with state and federal partners.

Anyone with information related to the suspects listed, or details that could help identify potential victims, is asked to contact the Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force at mectf@wsp.wa.gov.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media