Five men were arrested during a child exploitation operation conducted by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force during the 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The operation was conducted Aug. 1 through Aug. 6.
Four men were separately arrested on federal charges while attempting to meet with a person they believed was a 14-year-old girl, for the purposes of engaging in sexual activity. They will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The defendants are:
- Elmer James Hopper, 36, Rapid City—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
- Beau James Remington, 23, Black Hawk—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor.
- Jayson “Javi” Gomez, 30, Rapid City—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
- Joshua Michael Allen, 36, Hermosa—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
Another defendant was arrested on state charges for solicitation of a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl to engage in prohibited sexual acts.
- 36 year old Jackson Wolfgang Witte of Summerset is charged with Solicitation of a Minor and Attempted Manufacture of Child Pornography.
He will be prosecuted by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office.
The ICAC Task Force, which is part of the Attorney General’s Office, conducted the investigation in partnership with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The defendants are presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
Comments