A local man has been jailed amid charges of solicitation of a child after a regional task force found him allegedly involved in the crime.
Bradley Mark Bedsaul, age 55, of Surry County was arrested this week in Davidson County and charged with one count of solicitation of a child by computer.
According to Sgt. Christopher Azelton of the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, Bedsaul was apprehended by members of the Invictus Task Force with the assistance of the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office and the Mount Airy Police Department.
On April 16, the Invictus Task Force concluded an investigation into an act of solicitation by computer that Sgt. Azelton said involved someone living in Davidson County by Bedsaul, a Surry County resident.
Following his arrest Tuesday, Bedsaul was transported to the Surry County Detention Center where the magistrate placed him under a $5,000 secured bond. Azelton was not sure Friday afternoon if Bedsaul was still in the custody of Surry County or if he had posted the secured bond.
Bedsaul is scheduled to make his next appearance in Davidson Count District Court on July 24.
The investigation is listed as ongoing and anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.
Last year, Randolph County Sheriff Greg Seabolt was approached by Lantern Rescue, a group working to halt human trafficking, with a proposal to start a multi-jurisdictional task force focused on proactive investigations into child exploitation, solicitation, and trafficking. With cooperation from Davidson, Forsyth, and Alamance counties, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security a “fusion center” was established.
The fusion center task force is able to provide a full-scale forensics lab as well as technological and administrative support to streamline complex investigation that may cross county lines. This has allowed detectives to shift their posture, according to Sheriff Seabolt’s office, to a more proactive form of investigations such as the one that led to the arrest of Bedsaul - but he was not alone.
The Invictus Task Force this week also apprehended Cody Scott Gurley of Randolph County. A magistrate there found probable cause for ten counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor and he was held under a $150,000 secured bond.
Gurley was arrested after a cyber tip was sent in February to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in reference to possible possession and distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material according to the Invictus Project.
“When we’re able to bring all of these tools to one location with the expertise that law enforcement personnel already have to be able to collaborate and work together, we just become a more effective fighting force,” Ray Dawson with Lantern Rescue said.
While they may only have a four county sphere of operation, the task force will remain dedicated to protecting all children of North Carolina whenever able, officials there said.
“We want to send a message to all predators out there, all the perverts, that if you come to Randolph County, Alamance County, or any county in the Triad — they are not welcome,” said Sheriff Seabolt.
Most Popular
Comments / 0