AURORA, CO — An airline pilot, with ties to Phoenix, was arrested in Aurora, Colorado following a multi-agency online child predator operation that began last month.
Ralph Edward Bledsoe, 68, of Florissant was arrested, the Aurora Police Department said.
Bledsoe, an airline pilot, was arrested on Tuesday, April 8, after he arrived at an Aurora hotel, where he thought he would meet up with a minor for a sexual encounter, police said. Investigators also recovered several sexual "gifts" he had sent ahead of time, APD said.
He was booked into jail on charges of internet luring of a child, internet sexual exploitation of a child and attempted sex assault of a child.
He does not have a prior criminal history. However, detectives learned that he may have had sexual encounters with minors in Denver, Pennsylvania and Phoenix, and they found that he had flown in from Canada for the meeting at the Aurora hotel.
“Bledsoe being an airline pilot and the possibility of previous sexual relationships with underaged victims raises significant concerns about the potential of there being victims throughout the country,” said Seth Robertson, lieutenant of the Aurora Police Department Special Victims Section. “His arrest does not mean this investigation is over. Our detectives are working diligently with local, state and federal partners throughout the country to try to identify additional victims and to ensure they receive the justice they deserve.”
Aside from APD, the following agencies were part of this operation: Longmont Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Boulder County Computer Forensics Lab and the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation is ongoing and anybody with information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
