4 Disney workers, former judge among 108 people arrested in Polk anti-trafficking operation
Four people who work for Disney and a retired judge were among 108 people arrested in a six-day operation last week targeting human-trafficking, prostitution and child predators, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
At a Wednesday news conference, the Sheriff's Office said police departments from Winter Haven, Haines City, Lake Wales and Auburndale assisted the agency with the operation that began March 8. The Office of the State Attorney 10th Judicial Court, members from the Florida Department of Children and Families, One More Child, Heartland for Children and Selah Freedom of Sarasota also helped.
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Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the counseling services join the Sheriff's Office in every operation to help deputies identify victims, provide assistance and follow up on incidents. Judd said investigators found a 36-year-old victim who was being threatened by a 32-year-old woman to prostitute herself. One of the anti-trafficking organizations helped the victim.
"We help in identifying victims when they are recovered. And the minute that they are, we are able to sit down with them," said Marianne Thomas, senior anti-trafficking for One More Child. "We are able to explain services that are out there for them, explain what the next steps are for them and walk them away from that situation. This time we were able to get a trafficker and that makes my heart so happy."
She said a lot of the suspects arrested for prostitution are also victims.
"We hit a grand slam in that we also found child sex predators," Judd said at the press conference.
Judd said one of the suspects arrested on child predator charges was from Mulberry and traveled to an undercover location thinking he was meeting up with a very young child for sex. He was charged with using a computer to lure and traveling to meet a minor, attempted lewd battery, transmitting harmful material to a minor, possession of methamphetamine, resisting and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Sheriff's Office said a 66-year-old suspect from Palos Hills, Illinois, who was charged with soliciting prostitution told detectives that he's a retired Cook County Fourth Sub-Circuit judge and a special assistant for legal affairs at the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
Four suspects were Disney employees. Judd said a 27-year-old lifeguard at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort thought he was texting a 14-year-old and sent detectives sexual images. He was charged with three counts of transmitting harmful material to a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
The other three Disney employees were charged with soliciting prostitution. Judd said one of the suspects worked at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café in Tomorrowland, one was a software developer and the other was a four-year information technology employee.
Among the 108 arrests, four suspects were arrested for traveling to meet or sending lewd media to a minor, 75 were arrested for soliciting prostitutes and four of the 75 suspects are also charged with battery. Twenty-five were charged with offering to commit prostitution. The suspect accused of trafficking the identified prostitution victim was also arrested on five charges, four being felonies. Three others were arrested for aiding in prostitution, driving with a suspended or revoked license and counterfeit identification.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Disney workers, former judge among 108 arrested in sex sting
