A Winston-Salem man has been arrested in Henry County following an undercover chat operation. According to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, on January 4 the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigative unit began an undercover chat operation.

During this operation, the investigator came into contact with Richard Herman Albers on an online forum. Albers continued to communicate with the investigator on multiple online platforms for many weeks.

During the communication between Albers and the investigator, there were multiple lewd and sexual-in-nature messages sent from Albers to the Sheriff’s Office investigator. During these online interactions, Albers believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old child to arrange a sexual encounter.

On March 14,  the Henry County Sheriff’s Office traveled to Forsyth County, North Carolina. Along with the assistance of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant was executed at Albers’ residence, and he was taken into custody without incident.

• Four counts: Use of Communications Systems to Solicit a Juvenile
• Two counts: Attempted Production of Child Pornography

Albers is currently incarcerated at Forsyth County Detention Center without bond. He will be extradited to Henry County.