LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- A man who was busted in a Cape Coral child sex sting two years ago was one of 18 people arrested in a Lee County sex sting last week, and he tried to take drastic measures to harm himself in the process.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office announced on Monday the results of Operation Picket Fence, which targeted men using social media to attempt to lure children into sex. 18 suspects were arrested in the operation.
One of the men arrested ws 50-year-old Paul Morgan Newport of Cape Coral, a registered sex offender.
According to a sheriff's office report, an undercover agent posed as a 14-year-old boy on the app Grindr and was contacted by Newport, and agreed on the phone to meet and engage in oral sex.
When Newport arrived at the location of the sting, he was taken into custody by detectives.
While waiting to be processed, Newport jumped up and ran into a bedroom, where investigators say he was attempting to stab himself with a wooden sailfish statue that was on a nightstand.
A struggle ensued, during which Newport caused a self-inflicted stab wound on his neck before detectives used a taser to subdue him.
Newport was arrested and charged with travel to meet after use computer to lure child, use two-way communication device to facilitate felony, probation violation, and aggravated battery.
He had previously been arrested in June 2016 as part of Operation Cyber Guard, a similar cyber sex sting that netted 21 arrests.
