Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/110922
Sarasota News Leader February 22, 2013 Page 79 30 ARRESTED IN SHERIFF���S OFFICE���S ONLINE PREDATOR STING The Sarasota County Sheriff���s Office has arrested 30 people in Operation Intercept II, the second such sting designed to protect Sarasota County���s children from online predators, the office announced Feb. 20. ���The suspects responded to Internet-based ads or social media posts and engaged in sexually explicit written and verbal conversations, ultimately traveling to a location in Sarasota County with the intent to have sex with a child or children,��� a news release says. When the suspects arrived, detectives placed them under arrest, it adds. ���This was our second operation to see what criminals prowled the Internet for the purpose of sexually exploiting children,��� said Sheriff Tom Knight in the release. ���We saw some frightening things that parents need to be aware of to properly protect their kids.��� In one case, the alleged predator met a person he thought was a child on a GPS-based online dating platform that tells people who is in their area and allows them to chat with the persons and send photos, the release notes. In another, the suspect posted an ad on a website known for prostitution and indicated in the ad that his interest was in young girls only, the release adds. The sting was structured to make him think he had met a 14-year-old girl recently placed with new foster parents; he planned to pay her $60 for her services, according to the report. Sheriff Tom Knight/Contributed photo the Central Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Osceola County Sheriff���s Office, Polk County Sheriff���s Office, Winter Haven Police Department, Citrus County Sheriff���s Office, Seminole County Sheriff���s Office, Bradenton Police Department, Manatee County Sheriff���s Office, Orange County Sheriff���s Office and Lake County Sheriff���s Office, the release points out. Assistance was also provided by members of The Sheriff���s Office conducted this manpow- the FBI Innocent Images Task Force, Clewiser-intensive operation in cooperation with ton Police Department, Lee County Sheriff���s the State Attorney���s Office and members of Office and Charlotte County Sheriff���s Office.