Three East County residents were arrested as part of a Washington State Patrol child sex abuse sting in Thurston County.

Arthur David Fowler, of Elma, Adam Joseph Persell, of Montesano and Jennifer D. Graen, of McCleary, were arrested during the operation.

Officers went undercover on the Internet and communicated with individuals interested in the sexual exploitation of children. The operation generated hundreds of responses, according to a press release from the Washington State Patrol.

Those who were arrested during the sting had agreed to travel to meet with undercover detectives posing as young girls and boys to engage in sexual activity with them.

Fowler, 42, was charged with second-degree attempted rape of a child. The Olympian reported Fowler had no criminal history other than a driving violation in 1990. He had agreed to meet an 11-year-old girl for sex.

Persell, 34, was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted rape of a child and one count of second-degree attempted rape of a child. He had agreed to meet with children ages 13, 11, and 6 for sex, The Olympian reported, adding that he has a 2001 conviction for second-degree rape of a child, and he could face life in prison without parole if he is convicted of the current charges.

Graen, 44, was arrested for second-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, second-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and sexual exploitation of a minor. She is being held at Grays Harbor County Jail on a $150,000 bond, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in District Court on Oct. 4. Graen was the only female arrested in the sting.

According to court documents, detectives learned about Graen when they arrested Nathan Ahman Vahanian, 51, of Bucoda, during the sting. In an interview with detectives, Vahanian was asked whether he used the Internet to gain access to children for sexual activity, and he told them he had made contact with a woman who offered her child for sex.

Graen said she knew Vahanian from a previous “hook up” on the dating website Plenty of Fish. She said, in court documents, that she took and sent explicit photographs, depicting a minor child, to Vahanian at his request. She denied allowing Vahanian to have sexual contact with the child.

Vahanian was arrested for two counts of first-degree attempted rape of a child and possession of depictions of minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct during the sting.

Through the investigation, detectives also were able to rescue four children who were at risk of being abused, the state patrol press release stated.

“It’s vital we take these child predators off the streets and keep our children safe,” John Batiste, chief of the Washington State Patrol said in a press release. “Through collaboration with our partners, we are making the Internet safer for kids and are also able to protect the most vulnerable community members from abuse.”

Collaborating in the investigation were 17 different city, county and federal law enforcement agencies including U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.

“The significant investigative, surveillance and computer forensics support from our Homeland Security Investigations special agents proves that we leave no stone unturned when it comes to removing these predators from our communities,” said Steve Cagen, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Seattle. “The staggering number of arrests achieved through interagency cooperation are a testament to our combined passion to prevent future harm to innocent children.”

According to a list published by The Olympian, arrested subjects were from as far away as California, and two currently live at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The earliest arrest was Sept. 7, and arrests continued through Sept. 18.

Other subjects arrested, as further identified by The Olympian, include:

Leslie Joe Vopat, 59, of Shelton was charged with commercial sexual abuse of a minor and second-degree attempted rape of a child.

John Stephen Moore, 47, of Lacey was charged with commercial sexual abuse of a minor and second-degree attempted rape of a child.

Michael Paul Haxton, 25, of Lacey was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child and second-degree attempted rape of a child.

Steve Wayne Wolsieffer, 30, of Lacey was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child and communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

Ezra Danilo Wright, 20, who lives at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was charged with first degree attempted rape of a child.

Dale Maurice Olea, 31, of Lacey was charged with third-degree attempted rape of a child.

Nathan Bill Wiggs, 45, of Lacey was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child.

Joseph Michael Schonek, 41, of Tumwater was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child, second-degree attempted rape of a child, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine.

Antaeus Laurent Clark, 29, of California was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child, second-degree attempted rape of a child and commercial sexual abuse of a minor.

Troy Eugene Dubes, 53, of Lacey was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child, second degree attempted rape of a child and commercial sexual abuse of a minor.

Bryant Earle Glant, 20, of Mercer Island was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted rape of a child.

Kyle Jackson, 28, of Tacoma was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child and second-degree attempted rape of a child.

Douglas D. Pressley, 48, of Mason County was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted rape of a child, and second-degree attempted rape of a child.

Daniel John Masters, 51, of Lake Stevens was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child.

Gabriel Augusto Garcia, 45, who lives at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child and attempted communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

Kris K. Bennett was charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child, and second-degree attempted rape of a child.

Michael Sifre also was listed in the state patrol press release. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Command unit apprehended him.

Grays Harbor Countyt Sheriff’s Office Chief Criminal Deputy Steve Shumate said the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office was not directly involved in the investigation. Graen was located by the McCleary Police Department and arrested by the investigating agencies.