Two more men have been arrested as a result of the child sexual exploitation investigation that led a man to fatally shoot himself in front of police at Melone Village in Auburn on Aug. 8.
Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck told 人兽性交 on Tuesday that John E. Steinruck, 59, of Seneca Falls, and Junayd M. Abdulkhafid, 42, of Syracuse, have been charged with second-degree attempted criminal sexual act, a class E felony. They were arrested while attempting to pay for sex with what they thought was a 14-year-old girl but was actually an undercover police officer.聽
As previously reported by 人兽性交, the sting operation also led to the arrest of聽Wilver O. Laparra-Gonzalez, 34, who gave officers a Throop address but is in the U.S. illegally. With bail set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond, Steinruck has been released, Abdulkhafid is being held at the Cayuga County Jail and Laparra-Gonzalez is being held on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.
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A fourth person who arrived at the apartment complex as a result of the sting operation, Scott R. Demonte, 51, of Fayetteville, produced a gun when police attempted to take him into custody. As also reported by 人兽性交, he pointed the gun at an Auburn Police Department officer before shooting himself in the head. The officer shot a single round at Demonte, which missed him.

Investigators collect evidence at the scene of a suicide during a confrontation with Auburn police at Melone Village in August.
Schenck, whose office is leading an investigation into the officer firing his weapon, said it is almost finished.聽
"Based on all of the available evidence in this case, it is clear to me that Scott Demonte did die as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It is also clear to me that the shot fired by the APD officer was justified at the time and did not strike anyone," he said. "The officers involved in this attempted arrest showed great restraint as this incident quickly unfolded."
Schenck said a digital forensic analysis of Demonte's phone and additional digital evidence is being completed. A link between him and the three men who were arrested has not been found, the sheriff continued, as it does not appear they knew each other. Regardless, he said his office and its partners in the sting operation 鈥 Auburn police, New York State Police and the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force 鈥 will continue to work to protect children by identifying and arresting child predators.
"It is very disturbing to me just how many individuals are willing to sexually exploit children in our community," he said.
AUBURN 鈥 A man connected to a child sexual exploitation investigation fatally shot himself during聽a confrontation with Auburn police officers …
Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.