Key keywords: Charlottesville child sex abuse charges, online child exploitation sting, Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Albemarle County sex crime arrests, minor predator undercover operation, online solicitation of a minor, child pornography possession charges Two men residing in the Charlottesville metropolitan area are facing multiple felony child sex abuse and exploitation charges following a three-week undercover online operation led by the Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, local law enforcement confirmed in a press release on Wednesday. The joint operation, which included personnel from the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office, and Virginia State Police, deployed undercover officers posing as 13 to 15-year-old minors across popular social media platforms, gaming chat servers, and dating applications frequently used by teenagers. Officers engaged with users who initiated unsolicited sexual conversations with the undercover profiles, documented all communications, and tracked attempts by adults to arrange in-person meetings with the purported minors for sexual activity. Law enforcement officials identified 28-year-old Jake Morrison, a Charlottesville resident who works as a local construction worker, as the first suspect. Morrison allegedly initiated contact with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl in late April, sent multiple sexually explicit images and messages over the course of 10 days, and arranged to meet the minor at a public park in downtown Charlottesville on May 9 to engage in sexual acts. He was taken into custody immediately upon arriving at the meeting location. A search of his personal cell phone and laptop recovered during his arrest revealed more than 200 files of suspected child pornography, as well as additional conversations with other minors living across Virginia. The second suspect, 32-year-old Tyler Reed of Albemarle County, was arrested three days later on May 12 after arranging to meet an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old boy at a fast food restaurant off Route 29. Reed, who previously worked as a part-time youth sports coach in the area, faces charges including solicitation of a minor for sexual activity, distribution of explicit material to a minor, and use of a communication device to facilitate a sex crime against a child. As of Thursday, Morrison is being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail without bond, while Reed has been issued a $120,000 secured bond. Both men are scheduled to appear in Charlottesville General District Court on June 1 for their preliminary hearings. If convicted on all charges, each could face up to 40 years in state prison. Law enforcement representatives emphasized that the operation is part of an ongoing statewide effort to crack down on online child predation, and urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity, educate teens about the risks of interacting with strangers on digital platforms, and report any suspicious communications to local police or the ICAC Task Force tip line.