St. Pete Firefighter One of 43 Arrested in Sex Sting

On Monday, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office announced it had arrested 43 men in an online sting designed to catch people soliciting sex with children.

Six of those men lived in Pinellas County and one of them was a firefighter with St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue. 

According to the Tampa Bay Times, 35-year-old Jeremy Wert resigned from his position over the weekend following his arrest.

"Wert had been a St. Petersburg firefighter for 10 years. Fire Chief James Large called his record 'exemplary,' saying Wert had never been disciplined and was considered one of the agency's best firefighters.

"I'm embarrassed," Large said. "It's a black eye, but we are going to get through it."

Wert, according to his arrest report, lives at 4516 2nd Ave N and was arrested on Sept. 12. He was released on Sept. 13. 

Others arrested from Pinellas County are:

• James Durkee, 61, of 613 Cedarwood St. N., St., Petersburg 
• Jonathan Schafer, 22, of 500 Trinity Ln. N. Apt. 6112, St. Petersburg
• Roberto Delerme, 29, of 3930 Fielstone Ct., Palm Harbor
• Joseph Albanese, 36, of 2293 Cumberland Cir., Clearwater
• Alen Markley, 56, of 1839 Stetson Dr., Clearwater

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Underage Sex Sting Nets 43