COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Federal authorities say an Ohio man was arrested as part of a national child pornography sweep that rescued 123 victims of sexual exploitation.
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that 31-year-old Mickell E. Close of Quincy, in western Ohio, was arrested Nov. 8 and faces federal charges of child pornography production. Agents said they identified and rescued three children who Close secretly recorded in a bathroom to produce video and still images that he traded on the Internet.
Close's public defender did not immediately respond to a phone message Thursday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security and other agencies arrested 245 people during "Operation Sunflower," which was conducted from Nov. 1 to Dec. 7.
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