Crimes Against Children Spiked Throughout The Pandemic, FBI Agents Say

Crimes against children have spiked since the beginning of the pandemic, the FBI said. 

Within the last month, FBI agents in Oklahoma have uncovered a child exploitation ring that reached into Europe and saw one investigation come to an end with a guilty plea by a former metro school employee.

"The indictments in northern Oklahoma surely speak to that. The indictments are up," said Josh Martin, supervisor agent with the Oklahoma City FBI field office.

Martin said they've opened more investigations into predators who target children than ever before since the pandemic started.

"People were stuck inside for a period of time, were stuck inside and giving in to their addictions and targeting children," said Martin.

Last week, a former Mid-Del schools employee, Greg Henke, pleaded guilty to making two students engage in elicit activity. The FBI said he captured the acts on his cellphone.

"You can't draw a picture of what a predator looks like, because we're seeing it in every shape and form in every occupation. Unfortunately, it's scary. It's a lion in sheep's clothing many of times," said Martin.

Mid-Del School District also released this statement in response to Henke's guilty plea:

"We are aware that a former Mid-Del employee, Greg Henke, pled guilty in a federal investigation involving crimes against children. We are extremely disturbed by the charges against Henke. He had not been on a Mid-Del campus since May of 2021. We fully cooperated with both the FBI and the United States Attorney's Office of the Western District of Oklahoma. There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our students."

Meanwhile, an investigation which began near Tulsa went international. It led to six arrests in five states and Norway. The young victims were rescued earlier this month.

"What we have to do is look at these cases in a manner that if that was my child that was being exploited or victimized, we would want the same amount of dedication going after the person who victimized," Martin said.

The FBI said parents are the first line of protection. The first step to protect their kids is to talk to them about the risks.

"The awkward conversations with your children, with your stepchildren are not near as awkward as if they were conversation with an FBI agent where you have to tell that story for the first time," Martin said.

Martin said parents should also monitor their children's social media chats to see who they are talking to online.