Director of CA LGBTQ+ organization among 17 men arrested in child predator sting

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Credit: The Post Millennial

The executive director of the pro-LGBTQ+ organization Rainbow Research Center was apprehended on suspicion of attempting to engage in sexual activities with a minor, according to The Modesto Bee.

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Gerad Slayton, 42, was confirmed to be one of 17 men arrested on suspicion of eliciting sex with a minor and was arrested during a sting operation conducted by the Turlock Police Department set up to catch predators allegedly seeking to meet minors with the intent to have sex with them.

Slayton recently was appointed executive director of the Rainbow Center, a local nonprofit organization that provides resources to LGBTQ+ members of all ages. It particularly offers resources related to mental and physical health.

The operation was planned for months, involved several agencies and was helmed by Turlock police Detective Gina Giovacchini. She said undercover officers pretended to be children between the ages of 13 and 17. “We got hits on every age,” said Giovacchini. The operation used several messaging and dating apps to lure suspects to a location. Giovacchini said an officer, pretending to be a minor, would get the suspect to agree to meet in person with the intention of having sex. As far as the scale and intent of the operation, it was the first of its kind for the Turlock Police Department, Giovacchini said.

Slayton pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of meeting with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd and lascivious behavior. His next court appearance is an early case management conference scheduled for Jan. 29 at the Stanislaus County Superior Courthouse.

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