Bedford porn unit nets third arrest

Charlotte man dubbed himself 'Dr. Evil'

by Patrick Lynch

BEDFORD -- Tourists have been visiting Bedford County to catch a glimpse of the Peaks of Otter for decades.  Now the sheriff's department is attracting a new breed of visitor -- inclined to ogle children rather than the scenic landscape -- the so-called "traveler."

   "Traveler" describes a person willing to cross county and even state boundaries to pick up children or teen-agers for sex.

   "Traveler," according to Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown, also describes three men arrested in Bedford County since late February.

   The first came from West Virginia, the second from Harrisonburg.  On Friday, a Charlotte, N.C., man who calls himself "Dr. Evil" was arrested.

   Shortly before 1 p.m., Raymond P. Canupp, a 47-year-old bus mechanic, pulled his red Chevrolet pickup truck into a parking lot in eastern Bedford County expecting to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex, said Brown.

   He drove to bedford County from Charlotte, Brown said, after months of discussion through Internet chat rooms with undercover Bedford deputies posing as a 13-year-old girl.

   On Friday, Canupp met those deputies face to face.  Brown said Canupp requested the meeting.

   Canupp was charged with solicitation to commit crimes against nature, attempted indecent liberties with a minor and attempting to lure a minor into a vehicle, Brown said.  Brown said federal charges might be brought against Canupp.

   During months of Internet conversations with deputies, Canupp identified himself as "Dr. Evil" and revealed fantasies or intentions of having sex with young girls, Brown said.

   Brown said that Canupp was listed as one of Operation Blue Ridge Thunder's top 10 targets because of the nature of his comments to undercover deputies.

   Operation Blue Ridge Thunder is Bedford's federally funded unit that fights sex crimes against children using the Internet and undercover deputies to locate perpetrators.

   Brown ranks the top 10 targets by "what they want to do to children, or what they've said they've done."

  "A lot of it could be just bragging.  But we don't know that."

   Brown said Canupp was cooperative from the time deputies identified themselves.

   During a questioning that lasted about two hours, Canupp consented to issuing a search warrant for his Charlotte home, and told deputies that inside they will find child pornography, handcuffs and other sadomasochistic items.

   Brown said he expects Charlotte police, who will search Canupp's home soon, will find "thousands" of sexually explicit images of children.

   Brown also said that, based on Friday's interview with Canupp and comments Canupp made on the Internet, he believes Canupp has molested children, and that Canupp is one of the most dangerous men arrested as a result of Blue Ridge Thunder.

   But he is not the first, and probably will not be the last.  The operation has netted more than 15 arrests in about a year and is receiving increased media coverage.

   Friday Brown recognized that it may not be long before pedophiles lurking on the Internet know to stay away from Bedford County.

   "We know word is getting out," Brown said.

   Brown said he thinks pedophiles within about a 100-150 mile radius have read or seen media reports about Operation Blue Ridge Thunder.  He said deputies have seen evidence of this knowledge.

   A number of times, Brown said, either "Bedford," "Lynchburg" or "Roanoke" has been mentioned in a chat room.

   "The screen just goes blank," Brown said.  "That gives us a real good idea that person was probably within 150 miles of here."