Jan. 27 -- Nine individuals were arrested last week in Huntsville in a joint operation that included the Morgan County Sheriff's Office and they are facing nearly 40 charges ranging from child sexual abuse to human trafficking, according to the Huntsville Police Department.
Out of the nine who were arrested, two are from Morgan County: Michael John Fike, 53, of Somerville, and Julio Tomas Juan, 22, of Decatur, who were both charged with first-degree human trafficking, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, and electronic solicitation of a child, according to Huntsville police.
The Huntsville Police Department, which led the operation in collaboration with the Morgan County Sheriff's Office, the Madison County District Attorney's Office and Covenant Rescue Group, said the goal was to "identify, investigate and apprehend individuals exploiting children online."
The offenders solicited and targeted decoys they believed to be minors by interacting with them through chat rooms, social media platforms and other online portals, according to a statement from the City of Huntsville on Saturday. They said the suspects agreed to pay for sexual acts with minors and traveled to designated locations in Huntsville to commit these crimes.
Fike and Juan are being held without bond, according to Madison County Jail records.