Those who target young children to fulfill their twisted sexual fantasies are the sickest of the sick.

These same people deserve to be punished severely once they are apprehended.

Many of these people live and work in our communities and often use the Internet to lure children away from their families.

Unfortunately, Kentucky has its share of sexual predators.

Recently, Attorney General Greg Stumbo announced that authorities in his office teamed up with the watchdog group Perverted Justice in a sting to crack down on sexual deviants who stalk underage prey on the Internet.

The sting netted seven people, one of them a schoolteacher from northeastern Kentucky. When arrested, some of the men were carrying condoms, alcohol and Viagra.

Each of the men was allegedly looking for sex with a girl they believed to be 12 to 13 years old. Perverted Justice has trained adults who pose as minors in Internet chat rooms and they wait to be contacted by adults seeking sex.

The teacher arrested, Steven Duncil, allegedly drove from Flemingsburg to Louisville – a 130-mile trip – to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex.

This shows the extremes some will go to meet and have sex with a youngster.

Even closer to home, a Park City minister has been charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. He was released Wednesday on a $25,000 bond.

These stings and arrests show the need for law enforcement officials to continue to be vigilant in combating pedophiles. They also show the need for more stings and cooperation among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to combat the growing problem of adults preying on young kids.

Another weapon that could come in handy grows out of a court challenge of a law passed by the General Assembly.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John Heyburn II ruled a law that bars sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, playgrounds and other places where children gather is legal.

Several sex offenders had filed a lawsuit last month contending that the law forced them to move from their properties without due process of law.

We couldn’t disagree more with their weak arguments. Regardless of time served by a sex offender, there is a relatively high likelihood they will offend again, so we shouldn’t make it easier for them to do so.

It is highly likely Judge Heyburn’s ruling will be appealed and we hope higher courts will uphold his decision.

Pedophiles are a blight on our society and we must use all reasonable and legal means to deter them.