POLK COUNTY, FL — Six men have been arrested and charged with 22 felonies following a weeklong undercover operation aimed at catching suspected child predators.
Beginning Sept. 19, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland Police Department, Haines City Police Department, Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Orange County Sheriff’s Office detectives conducted a seven-day operation, called “Operation Child Protector IV” during which detectives posed as children or guardians of children on social media platforms, mobile apps and online dating sites
During the operation, men communicated with people they thought were children or guardians but were actually uncover detectives. Six of the men showed up to meet the children for sex at predetermined locations in Polk County, authorities said.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, three of the six men wanted to pay a guardian hundreds of dollars to have sex with a child. They were charged with human trafficking, a life felony.
Three of the men brought condoms to the undercover location; three told detectives they are married; and three admitted to having children. All of the men were from the central Florida area.
Arrested were:
Jairo Muniz, 40, of Kissimmee, FL. Muniz engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and by cell phone with an undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old girl. He asked several questions about her sexual experience and described the sex acts he wanted to do to her. Judd said he sent a nude photo of himself to the girl and he stopped and bought condoms on his way to meet her. During questioning, he told detectives that he is married and has four daughters between the ages of 9 and 16 years old. He said he is a laborer at a scaffolding company, and that he told his boss he was going to be late to work the day he traveled to meet the child for sex.
Muniz was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
- One count of traveling to meet a minor for sex.
- One count of attempted lewd battery.
- One count of transmission of material harmful to minors.
- One count of use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
He was released from jail on Sept. 24 after posting bond.
Timothy Wellman, 36, an Ohio man who recently moved to Polk County, has a conversation on a social networking site and by cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, said the sheriff. Wellman told her she was cute and described the sex acts he wanted to do to her. He told detectives that he is divorced and his two kids, ages 5 and 6, live with his ex-wife in Kentucky. He said he was talking to his children on the phone and telling them goodnight while he was driving to the undercover location. He said that he is an Army veteran using his G.I. Bill for college.
Wellman was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
- One count of traveling to meet a minor for sex.
- One count of attempted lewd battery.
- One count of use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
Feras Klisli, 49, of Davenport, engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and by cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. He asked her if she was a virgin and described the sex acts he wanted to do to her. He told detectives that he is married with two adult children and that he is an Uber driver.
Klisli was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
- One count of traveling to meet a minor for sex.
- One count of attempted lewd battery.
- One count of use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
He was released from jail on Sept. 24 after posting bond.
Douglas Da Silva, 46, of Windermere engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and by cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as an adult who had access to a 15-year-old girl. He asked her if the girl was a virgin and told her he wanted to have sex with her twice within an hour. He agreed to pay her $250 to have unprotected sex with the child. He told detectives that he is an Uber Eats driver, is married, and that he and his wife own a house-cleaning business. He said he has been in the U.S. for four years and is awaiting confirmation of his green card.
Da Silva was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
- One count of human trafficking.
- One count of traveling to meet a minor for sex.
- One count of use of a computer to solicit the guardian of a child for sex.
- One count of use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
Trevor Walker, 33, of Orlando engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and by cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as an adult with access to a 15-year-old girl. He said he wanted to “go hard” and agreed to pay her $400 to have unprotected sex with the child for three hours. He told detectives that he works at the Publix distribution center in Orlando.
Walker was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
- One count of human trafficking.
- One count of traveling to meet a minor for sex.
- One count of use of a computer to solicit the guardian of a child for sex.
- One count of use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
Douglas Cooley, 26, of Apopka, engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and by cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as an adult and claimed to have access to a 15-year-old girl, said the sheriff. Cooley agreed to pay $100 to have protected sex with the child for half an hour, and an additional $50 for unprotected sex. He works at the Clay Springs Elementary School after-school daycare in Apopka.
Cooley was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
- One count of human trafficking.
- One count of traveling to meet a minor for sex.
- One count of use of a computer to solicit a guardian of a child for sex.
- One count of use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
