More than 12 Nabbed In Polk Undercover Child Predator Investigation

POLK COUNTY, FL — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd will provide details Friday at 1:30 p.m. on a two-week undercover investigation focusing on sexual predators who target children.

During the multi-agency undercover initiative, detectives posed as children on social media platforms, mobile apps and online dating sites to identify those who prey on and travel to meet children for unlawful sex.

Detectives also conducted a review of sexual offender/predator compliance with Florida's registration laws, focusing on convicted sex offenders and sex predators with prior child victims in Polk County.

More than two dozen men and women were arrested, including a Colorado corrections officer, a high school umpire and an amusement ride operator.

Two of the predators sexually battered two teen girls (a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old) and one registered sex offender videotaped a woman in the bathroom without her permission. Two others were arrested for traveling to locations to have sex with children, said Judd. And six people were charged with having sexually explicit conversations or electronically transmitting harmful material to undercover detectives they thought were children.

"We will continue to conduct proactive operations like this to ensure our children are safe. Thank you to our detectives and partnering agencies for your hard work to ensure our children are safe from predators who sexually abuse, groom, and corrupt our children," Judd said. "I say it all the time: Parents need to be all up in their child's business when it comes to electronic devices that give them access to online gaming, mobile applications, texting or the internet. Check their devices regularly, and ensure parental controls are enabled to keep predators like these away from your kids."

Judd said he'll also update the media on a shooting in Poinciana Thursday night that left one person dead and two others with life-threatening injuries.

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