Fifteen suspects have been arrested in a cyber child sex sting operation, Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies announced Tuesday.
The suspects range from a hotel desk clerk, a former Portland police officer, a Volusia County high school paraprofessional and a 21-year-old active duty Air Force service member.
Deputies said, the arrests were part of ‘Operation Cyber Sting’, a seven-day operation from August 29, through September 4.
The defendants were from Florida cities such as Leesburg, Miami, Orlando, St. Augustine and Ocala, as well as one from Deltona. Three men were from other states – New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona, but were already in Florida for various reasons, investigators said.
See List of Suspects Arrested and Charges Here.
The arrestees are offenders lurking on e-commerce sites and social networks who made overt declarations to undercover investigators of their intentions to exploit children, investigators said. When the suspects arrived at a secure location to have sexual contact with who they believed to be children between the ages of 9 and 15 years, deputies stepped in and made the arrests.
Those arrested range in ages from 21 to 66 years old and all are facing multiple violations of Florida’s Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act, including traveling to entice a parent or guardian to consent with sex with a child.
