LAS VEGAS (NV)
Las Vegas Review-Journal [Las Vegas, NV]
August 18, 2025
By Ricardo Torres-Cortez
One of eight suspects arrested in a sting operation that targeted alleged child sex predators in the Las Vegas Valley earlier this month is a local pastor, according to a church that rented the suspect’s congregation space.
Neal Harrison Creecy, 46, is facing one felony count of luring or attempting to lure a child or mentally ill person with the use of a computer to engage in sexual contact, according to court records.
Creecy, of Redemption Church, was arrested on Aug. 7 and posted after a $10,000 bond the next day before appearing in front of a judge, records show.
The operation also nabbed Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, a 38-year-old senior Israeli government cybersecurity official, who is accused of attempting sexual contact with a decoy who acted like a 15-year-old girl.
The Good Samaritan Lutheran Church and Christian Academy announced Creecy’s arrest in a letter to its congregation at 8200 W. Sahara Ave.
“We want to be clear: Redemption Church is a separate ministry and operates independently from (us),” Good Samaritan Senior Pastor Don Lorfing wrote in the letter he later shared with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “While they rent space from us, they are not part of our staff, leadership, or programs.”
Added the letter: “Even so, we know such news can cause concern, and we want to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the safety and protection of everyone in our care, especially children and other vulnerable individuals.”
Lorfing said his church has well-established safeguards to protect children.
He added that Good Samaritan was not “aware of any allegations or misconduct toward children connected to Redemption Church or our congregation.”
‘I’m sorry’
Creecy was taken into custody as part of a local-federal law enforcement undercover operation, which the Metropolitan Police Department publicized on Friday.
A Henderson police arrest report released Monday alleges that Creecy communicated with a law enforcement decoy who acted as a 14-year-old boy.
The conversations, held over the apps TikTok, Sniffles and Sessions “turned sexual in nature,” and an in-person meeting was arranged, according to police.
A person with electronic devices associated with Creecy showed up at the location and was arrested, police said.
Federal agents interviewed Creecy.
“In very brief summary, Creecy stated ‘yes’ he understood that he agreed to meet up with a fourteen-year-old, admitted to having been involved in the conversation with the decoy juvenile, and made the utterance, ‘I’m sorry,’ during the interview,” the arrest report said.
Creecy is due in Henderson Justice Court for a felony arraignment on Sept. 2, records show. He has no attorney listed and his congregation did not return a message Monday seeking comment.
Six other suspects arrested
The eight suspects are facing the same charge.
The other suspects arrested were David Wonnacott-Yahnke, 40; Jose Alberto Perez-Torres, 35; Aniket Brajeshkumar Sadani, 23; James Ramon Reddick, 23; Ramon Manuel Parra Valenzuela, 29, and John Charles Duncan, 49.
All but Duncan were arrested at locations where they had agreed to meet the law enforcement decoys ages 13 and 14, according to their arrest reports.
The other apps mentioned in the reports were: Discord, Tinder, Grindr, Telegram, Chatib and Instagram. The conversations would sometimes continue over text messaging, according to police.