A day after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation increasing penalties for child sex offenders, officials in a multiagency operation announced the arrest of 16 suspected child predators in Central Florida.
The undercover operation involved law enforcement officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and St. Cloud and Kissimmee Police Departments. Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said investigators posed as minors online and many of the suspects traveled from afar to meet.
“They contacted minors … to meet children to have sex,” Blackmon said. “We have strong evidence including jet logs and travel records.”
Attorney General James Uthmeier said the latest operation reflects a commitment by him and other law enforcement leaders to get child predators off the streets. Since he was appointed to the office a year ago, Uthmeier said the state has arrested about 1,400 suspected child predators.
“That is the greatest threat to our families in Florida, it is pure evil,” Uthmeier said during Wednesday’s news conference.
Uthmeier added that another 30 suspected child predators were arrested in similar operations in other areas of Florida in recent days.
Most of the operations stemmed from leads on social media. The suspects traveled to meet their potential victims for sex and instead were met by law enforcement officials.
Uthmeier added that while the suspects in the cases are “grotesque,” he is emboldened by HB 1159, signed by DeSantis Tuesday.
The measure covers offenders who possess pornographic images of children under 12 years old and involve “sadomasochistic abuse” of a child, “sexual battery” or “sexual bestiality” involving a child, or any film, video or computer-generated images involving children.
Anyone convicted of those crimes, classified as a first-degree felony, would serve a minimum of 15 years in prison. If it’s a second-degree felony, that would draw a minimum of five years in prison.
“We’re going to continue to prosecute these cases,” Uthmeier said. “I hate that these guys are out there. But they are.”
