CHESTERFIELD Co., Va. — Seventeen men who range in age from 24 to 51 were charged with crimes related to an online chatting operation run by Chesterfield Police Special Victims Detectives.
News 3 investigated and found that one of the men arrested is a local pastor. Fifty-one-year-old John D. Blanchard was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution.
Rock Church International is located off Kempsville Road. On their website, Blanchard is listed as a pastor.
"During the two-day operation, detectives intercepted suspects who believed they were soliciting sex from minors through online and social media platforms," a Chesterfield Police spokesperson wrote in an email. "[The men] communicated with people they believed to be underage members of our community and arranged to meet them at a location to have sexual relations. When the suspects came to the location, they were met by police and arrested."
All of the men were charged with felony solicitation of prostitution.
Most were also charged with the use of a vehicle to promote prostitution.
Police released the following information about those who were arrested:
- John D. Blanchard, 51, of Virginia Beach, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Carlos Angel-Valesquez, 27, of Richmond, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution
- Jonathan M. Austin, 36, of Chesterfield, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Daniel E. Boyd Jr., 38, of Richmond, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Nelson D.R. Dudley, 34, of Chesterfield, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- James D. Eades, 42, of Chesterfield, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Michael C. Hall, 50, of Henrico, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Ricardo A. Hinojosa Gonzalez, 43, of Richmond, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution
- Christopher P. Kendrick, 50, of Louisa, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Franklin E. Martinez-Parada, 39, of Grasonville, Maryland, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Gabriel Medrano Flores, 49, of Henrico, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Efren Mojica Yepiz, 30, of Chesterfield, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Joshua P. Morris, 28, of Prince George, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Craig T. Moulden, 27, of Chesterfield, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Danzel M. Roland, 30, of Petersburg, was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice, felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
- Sergio A. Terceros Zambrana, 24, of Richmond, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution
- Taurean R. Thomas, 26, of Richmond, was arrested and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
We reached out to Rock Church for a statement, and they told us they do not have enough information at this time to make a statement.
News 3 reporter Zak Dahlheimer spoke to authorities in Chesterfield County about Blanchard's arrest. You can read details about the operation, as well as reaction from one of Blanchard's neighbors, here.
