Twelve people have been arrested and accused of seeking sex with children as well as transmitting harmful material to minors, according to officials with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.Officials with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from other local, state and federal agencies, conducted a sting operation to identify and capture offenders seeking sex with children online, according to a news release posted on Monday. Each of the defendants made arrangements to meet and have sex with a girl or a boy in Marion County between the ages of 13 and 15, investigators said. The report said eight men traveled to a location in Marion County to have sex with a child they thought they had been messaging online. Instead, they were met by law enforcement officers, placed in handcuffs and arrested, officials said.Four individuals were also arrested and accused of transmitting harmful material to people who they believed were minors.During the online interactions with the suspects, all of them engaged in lewd conversations with the “child” and described the sexual acts they wanted to perform with them, officials with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. Some of these men also sent sexually explicit photographs to the undercover officers, according to the report.“I will always use all my resources to hunt these evil predators down and bring them to justice,” Sheriff Billy Woods said. “I will continue to do everything I can to keep this evil from our children.”Officials with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office would like to acknowledge and give their sincerest gratitude to the following agencies for their assistance during this operation: Ocala Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Gainesville Police Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. They said they also would like to express their gratitude to the following community partners for their support during this operation: LaBella’s Italian Piatto & Pizzeria, Chemistry Salon, Sonny’s Barbeque, Pasta Faire, RP Dental, Publix, Walmart, and Raze Energy Drinks.Find more updates from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, here.
Twelve people have been arrested and accused of seeking sex with children as well as transmitting harmful material to minors, according to officials with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from other local, state and federal agencies, conducted a sting operation to identify and capture offenders seeking sex with children online, according to a news release posted on Monday.
Each of the defendants made arrangements to meet and have sex with a girl or a boy in Marion County between the ages of 13 and 15, investigators said.
The report said eight men traveled to a location in Marion County to have sex with a…
Read More12 arrested, accused of seeking sex with children, transmitting harmful
