Polk County arrests 281 in sting

Florida law enforcement arrested 281 people during a weeklong undercover operation in Polk County.

The initiative, known as Polk Around & Find Out II, ran for seven days. Investigators focused on two main areas: individuals traveling to the area to meet children for unlawful sexual activity, and commercial sex activity. The operation concluded with 488 new charges filed against the suspects, including 198 felonies.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier addressed reporters on Friday regarding the outcome. He stated, “Those who came to Polk County expecting to sexually abuse a child, found cuffs instead.” Authorities noted that the arrested individuals had a combined total of 798 prior criminal charges. Additionally, 24 suspects were found with firearms, and 32 people faced drug possession charges.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd confirmed that 17 of the arrested individuals worked at theme parks. Judd said Disney informed investigators that it had fired employees connected to the arrests. He noted that he had not yet received an update from Universal regarding the employment status of its arrested workers. Of the total arrests, 40 suspects lived in Polk County. The remainder came from other parts of Florida, 20 other states, and 18 countries.

The sheriff’s office reported that 32 arrested individuals were in the country unlawfully. Sixteen of those suspects were transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An ICE official stated that the agency interviewed more than 65 foreign-born people and placed detainers on more than 30 individuals identified as removable under immigration law.

One More Child, a nonprofit partner in the operation, engaged with 93 people. Eighteen of those individuals agreed to receive services. The organization identified 11 people who were believed to be victims of human trafficking. Sine Dressler, the nonprofit’s senior director of anti-trafficking operations, said, “We know that accepting help takes trust, and people may be afraid, unsure, or not ready to take that step.”

Judd said investigators are reviewing whether a youth football coach among the arrested suspects victimized additional children. The investigation remains ongoing.