COOKEVILLE, TN — Cookeville Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit says they apprehended two men who traveled to Cookeville in order to have relations with a child.
On February 13th, Kenny Whaley, 47, of Kodak, TN, was placed under arrest by the Cookeville Police Department. According to reports, Whaley solicited sexual activity from a minor who was actually a undercover officer posing as a minor. Police say Whaley traveled to Cookeville, from Sevier County in Tennessee and was apprehended when he arrived. He was charged with Solicitation of a Minor for Rape of a Child and was transported to the Putnam County Jail where he was held on a $50,000 bond; he has since been released upon payment of said bond.
On February 21st, ICAC detectives say they arrested Justin Mack, 30, of Antioch, TN, who also attempted to solicit a minor for sexual activity and that minor was also an undercover officer. Mack also traveled to Cookeville to carry out the act but was apprehended, according to police. Mack is charged with Solicitation of a Minor for Rape of a Child and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor by Electronic Means and his total bond is set at $100,000.
According to reports, Mack is on the sex offender registration and has been charged previously for criminally attempting to molest a child. He was arrested in 2011 in Georgia during a similar undercover investigation.
“The Cookeville Police Department is dedicated to protecting children in our community,” was written in a press release from CPD, “As a result, our detectives work diligently on these proactive investigations in an effort to ensure that individuals who choose to use the internet to target our children are held accountable.”
Justin Mack Kenny Lum Whaley