POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WSAV) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 17 people Monday in a month long child pornography sting.
The operation, called Guardians of Innocent IV: Fall Haul, was carried out by undercover detectives. One man was caught attempting to meet a child for sexual favors, two men were pursuing nude photos from 13-year-old girls on social media, and another man admitted that if he didn’t look at child pornography, he would sexually batter children.
“The people arrested during this operation prey on the most innocent and vulnerable among us—our children,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. “The undercover detectives who investigate these crimes have to see things that nobody should have to see, and no child should have to experience. Each one of these arrests has removed a predator from our streets, and the internet.”
The youngest person arrested was 17 years old, and the oldest person was 77 years old. The 17 men face a total of 626 charges (624 felonies and two misdemeanors).
Among the arrested men was a former middle school assistant principal, an ICU nurse, and two Disney employees. The former assistant principal is retired. One Disney employee worked as a custodial worker, and the other worked as a Guest Experience Manager.
Detectives seized electronics from all arrested men, and additional charges could follow after they are searched for additional explicit images and videos of children.
The following were arrested in the operation:
- Bryan Murray, 54, from Frostproof
- William Hage, 76, of Lakeland
- Dominic Bernardi, 19, from Orlando
- Christopher Drennen, 20, from Bartow
- Michael Arambulo, 34, of Haines City
- Camillo Demaria II, 33, from Lake Wales
- Felix Rocha, Jr. 27, of Haines City
- David Dailey, 42, of Auburndale
- Donald Durr, Jr., 52, of Davenport
- Brett Kinney, 40, of Lake Alfred
- Charles Mabry, Jr., 37 from Mulberry
- Edgar Villegas, 28, of Davenport
- Mack Witherington, 77, of Auburndale
- James Richardson III, 38, from Lake Wales
- Mark Ott, 49, of Winter Haven
- Rodney Montgomery, 51, from Polk City
- Jacob Jackson, 31, from Lakeland