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Boone Police Arrest Another Registered Sex Offender in Child Predator Investigation

Long
Long

On Wednesday, July 29, Boone Police arrested 47-year-old Danny Wayne Long of 601 Bessie Road, Piedmont, SC. This arrest comes after another joint operation. The agencies involved in this investigation were the Boone Police Department, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in SC, State Bureau of Investigation, and the N.C. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce.

“We have worked several of these investigations this year. I was surprised to learn how prevalent these predators are online. Our Detectives do not have to work hard to find these people. If our Detectives are able to easily interact online with these predators, so can our children. If you are a parent, I strongly recommend you take the appropriate measures to protect your son or daughter from the individuals trolling the internet looking for children.” said Investigations Division Commander Chris Hatton

In May 2015, a Boone Police Detective posed as a 15-year-old girl and responded to a personal ad on a popular web site. The ad title indicated that Long was looking for a young girl to “teach.” An online encounter with Danny Long began at this point.

The Detective maintained this undercover role as a child throughout the entirety of this investigation. Long requested a rendezvous in Boone with this believed-to-be child. Long arranged this meeting at an exact time and location. Investigators did not locate Long at this pre-arranged meeting location. Long was not charged with any crimes on this date. The investigation into Long’s illegal online activities continued.

During this investigation, it was learned that Long was a convicted sex offender in South Carolina. According to a news release from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office on July 17, 2015, “Long was previously convicted in 2010 for similar charges stemming from a 2009 arrest by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, also an ICAC Task Force member” (SCAG, 2015).

This South Carolina news release also stated that Long now has pending charges in South Carolina for a very similar offense. The release stated, “Investigators say Long solicited sex from someone he believed to be a minor. The minor was actually an undercover officer working with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. During the course of the investigation, Long also disseminated obscene material to the undercover officer (SCAG, 2015).

Long was charged in Watauga County with the following crimes:

  • One count of Felony Soliciting a Child by Computer.
  • One count of Felony Indecent Liberties with a Child.
  • One count of Felony Disseminate Obscene Material to a Minor.

Long was taken before a Watauga County Magistrate where a $50,000 secured bond was set pending an August 21, 2015, court appearance.

“Our children are our most precious gift, they are our future. We must do whatever it takes to protect our youth from those who would do them harm,” said Chief of Police Dana Crawford.