ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich.-- A West Michigan task force created by the FBI is working to protect children from online predators.
WEB CHEX, which stands for West Michigan Based Child Exploitation task force, was created by the FBI in Grand Rapids in 2014 through grant money. It's the team that brought Brian Carrier, 35, into custody on April 9. Investigators said Carrier drove from Indiana to Wayland where he picked up a 12-year-old girl and then took her to a hotel for sex after meeting her on the internet.
Online predators coming into families' homes and targeting their children is something Detective Craig Gardiner, with the Allegan County Sheriff's Office, said is happening all too often.
"You can have contact with anybody in the world at the palm of your hand," Det. Gardiner said. "They're out there and it's easier for them to find children-exploit them. Whether it's child pornography, sexual acts, abductions, it's all right there."
A scary thought that's a reality for Det. Gardiner. Having worked with the task force since it first launched, he's seen how many predators are out there.
"Just the cases that have been given to me out of our county, there's probably been three or four arrests since the end of the year," Det. Gardiner said. "Me assisting the other departments, there's been several arrests."
The task force is comprised of multiple agencies in Ottawa, Kent, Ionia, and Allegan Counties, along with the Grand Rapids Police Department and the FBI.
"We use computers as a tool to try to get information or prevent things from happening," Det. Gardiner said.
For child victims, it can be intimidating to talk to police. Safe Harbor in Allegan County is where many of them go. Lori Antkoviak said that in her nine years there, she's seen how being connected to the world has put even the most intelligent of children at risk.
"Last year, we saw 320 children come into our Allegan and Barry centers to share their stories of either severe physical abuse or sexual abuse," Antkoviak said.
While those numbers aren't limited to abuse by way of online predators, Antkoviak said the risk is still too high for children who aren't monitored.
Antkoviak said parents should keep an open line of communication with their children.
"Not just how did your day go but, so, who are you talking to on Facebook? Oh, I see you're texting, who are you texting,"Antkoviak said.
Another tip Antkoviak has for parents is to know what email accounts their kids have, adding that it's often connected to a social media account.
"If parents know what emails their kids have they can go online [and] check those emails," she said.
Det. Gardiner said the task force is in its trial phase. That after two years, the FBI will evaluate its performance to determine if funding can continue.
