A total of 17 were arrested across central Florida.
Investigators across a few agencies in central Florida had their hands full recently with a massive child predator sting To Catch a Predator-style.
You may remember the Dateline episodes with host Chris Hansen (who, on a separate note, had his own unrelated legal woes of late) working with a group of dedicated individuals, an of-age decoy who looks like they’re underage, and law enforcement to bust men looking for sex with a young female or male.
They used the full power of the internet to lure in depraved men looking for sex with children sometimes as young as 12-years-old, lure them to a rented house, and occasionally bust them (literally) with their pants down before swiftly booking them on sex crime charges with local law enforcement.
Just like the Dateline investigations would often ensnare men who worked directly with children – from principals to teachers to ministers, little league coaches, and the like – the central Florida dragnet caught 3 Disney world employees (two custodians, one lifeguard), a registered nurse, and 13 others looking for sex with a child.
The entire operation took six days. A total of 17 suspects face 49 felonies and two misdemeanors. All related to allegedly using the internet to groom and prey on children who were in reality undercover detectives.
A total of 16 of the suspects lived in central Florida, particularly Polk County. One suspect, however, is from Los Angeles. He was visiting the area, on vacation with his family.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office provided details on each suspect. It is quoted in full and verbatim to help parents and concerned citizens to recognize problematic behavior often associated with these kinds of crimes against children.
“1. 26-year-old Kenneth Javier Aquino of Orlando
On July 27, 2021, Aquino engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. He asked the "girl" to send photos, and sent her an explicit video of himself. They also communicated via text messaging on cell phones. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then arrived as soon as he got off work, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he is a lifeguard at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Walt Disney World. When he arrived at the undercover location he was still wearing his Disney polo shirt, swimming trunks, and Crocs. He told detectives he is a Navy veteran and has a pregnant girlfriend. His criminal history includes previous arrests for possession of marijuana, possession of a concealed weapon, and failure to appear.
Aquino was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
· One count Transmission of Material Harmful to Minor
2. 41-year-old Irving Oliver of Lakeland
On July 27, 2021, Oliver engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. They then texted back and forth via cell phones. He repeatedly asked the "girl" if she wanted to have sex with him, and asked for the address to the undercover location. He arrived at the location and was arrested without incident. His criminal history includes prior arrests for battery domestic violence, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, violation of an injunction for protection, no valid DL, and failure to appear.
Oliver was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
3. 33-year-old Jarrod Justice of Los Angeles, California
On July 27, 2021, Justice, while on vacation from California, engaged in an online conversation via a messaging app with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. They then texted back and forth via cell phones. He discussed what he wanted to do with her sexually when he arrived, and promised to bring condoms. When he arrived at the undercover location with the condoms, she asked him to bring him some candy, so he drove to a store and bought her some Sour Patch Kids. He returned to the location, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he’s married and he works at Best Buy.
Justice was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
4. 31-year-old Lior Enbar of Orlando
On July 27, 2021, Enbar engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. He then began calling her cell phone, using *67 to block his number. He asked the "girl" for photos and videos, and discussed what he wanted to do with the girl sexually. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove there, with condoms, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that lives with his parents and he’s a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver.
"He wanted to have a safe word," Judd explained. "We have a safe word: Jail."
Enbar was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
· Giving False info to LEO
5. 30-year-old Joshua Ortega of Davenport
On July 29, 2021, Ortega engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl, then asked for her phone number and communicated with her that way. He told the "girl" what he wanted to do with her sexually and promised her that he had condoms and wouldn’t get her pregnant. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then walked there, with condoms, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he’s unemployed and lives with his mother, and that he walked to the location to have sex with the girl because he hasn’t had sex in a while. His criminal history includes previous arrests for possession of cocaine and marijuana, burglary, grand theft, no valid DL, and violation of probation. He was released from state prison in January 2020. Detectives found PCP and drug paraphernalia concealed in his wallet.
Ortega was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
· One count Introduction of Contraband into a Detention Facility
· One count Possession of PCP
· One count Possession of Paraphernalia
6. 45-year-old Julio Enrique Cedeno, Jr. of Zephyrhills
On July 29, 2021, Cedeno engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl, then asked for her phone number and communicated with her that way. He told the "girl" what he wanted to do with her sexually and asked her for photos, videos, or to video chat. He sent her explicit photos of himself. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove there, with condoms, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he’s married, and he’s a self-employed general contractor. His criminal history includes previous arrests for aggravated battery, battery, theft, and violation of probation.
Cedeno was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· Two counts Transmission of Material Harmful to Minor
· One count Unlawful Use of Two-Way Communication Device
7. 47-year-old Juan Guadalupe-Arroyo of Davenport
On July 30, 2021, Guadalupe-Arroyo engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old boy. He told the "boy" that he was 40 years old and told him what he wanted to do with the boy sexually. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove there, with condoms, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he’s a registered nurse at Adventhealth Care Center in Celebration.
Guadalupe-Arroyo was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Misrepresenting Age Online/Use of Computer to Seduce a Child
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
8. 36-year-old Carlos Flores of Orlando
On July 30, 2021, Flores engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl, then asked for her phone number and communicated with her that way. He told the "girl" that he was 17 years old, and that he wanted to have sex with her in his car. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove to the area, with condoms, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he’s the manager of the Starbucks at the Orlando International Airport.
Flores was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Misrepresenting Age Online/Use of Computer to Seduce a Child
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
9. 47-year-old Enrique Medina of Orlando
On July 30, 2021, Medina engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl, then asked for her phone number and communicated with her that way. He told the "girl" the things that he wanted to do with her sexually. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove to the area, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he is employed by Celmark International in the sanitation department.
Medina was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
10. 30-year-old Adam Smith of Kissimmee
On July 30, 2021, Smith engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, then asked for her phone number and communicated with her that way. He told the "girl" the things that he wanted to do with her sexually. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove to there, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he is employed as a maintenance technician at a hotel in the Old Town area of Kissimmee. His criminal history includes previous arrests for battery domestic violence, tampering with evidence, and violation of probation.
Smith was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
11. 27-year-old Jeremiah Davis of Clewiston
On July 31, 2021, Davis engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, then asked for her phone number and communicated with her that way. He told the "girl" the things that he wanted to do with her sexually. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove to the area, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he is an Army veteran and currently employed by the city of Clewiston as a garbage truck driver.
Davis was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
12. 44-year-old Thomas Snyder of Lakeland
On July 31, 2021, Snyder engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old boy, then asked for his phone number and communicated with him that way. He sent an explicit photo to the "boy" and told the "boy" the things that he wanted to do with him sexually. He asked for the address to the undercover location and took an Uber to the area, where he was arrested. He told deputies that he is a custodian at the Valencia Hills nursing home in Lakeland.
Snyder was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
· One count Transmission of Material Harmful to Minor
13. 34-year-old David Ring of Lakeland
On July 31, 2021, Ring engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. He sent the girl several explicit images and videos of himself and told the "girl" the things that he wanted to do with her sexually. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove to there, where he was arrested without incident. He told deputies that he is unemployed. His criminal history includes previous arrests for knowingly driving while his license was suspended.
Ring was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
· Four counts Transmission of Material Harmful to Minor
14. 27-year-old Philip Nelson of Polk City
On July 31, 2021, Nelson engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, then asked for her phone number and communicated with her that way. He told the "girl" the things that he wanted to do with her sexually. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then drove to the area, where he was arrested after a traffic stop while trying to leave the area. He told deputies that he is an apprentice line technician for Powertown Line Construction, and that he left his two children at home with his mother when he traveled to have sex with the minor. His criminal history includes a previous arrest for battery.
Nelson was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
15. 34-year-old Jonathan McGrew of Kissimmee
On August 1, 2021, McGrew engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. He told the "girl" that he wanted her to come to his apartment and have sex with him and his girlfriend, Savannah Lawrence (arrest details below). He sent videos of him and his girlfriend performing sex acts on each other. He asked for the address to the undercover location and then he and Lawrence took an Uber to the location, where they were arrested without incident. McGrew communicated with another undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl during the same time frame, also telling her that he wanted to have sex with her. Upon their arrests, McGrew and Lawrence told deputies that they are custodians at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios. His criminal history includes a previous arrest for leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death (in Illinois).
McGrew was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· Two counts Transmission of Material Harmful to Minor
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
16. 29-year-old Savannah Lawrence of Kissimmee
On August 1, 2021, Lawrence’s boyfriend, Jonathan McGrew, engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. McGrew told the "girl" that he wanted her to come to his apartment and have sex with him and his girlfriend, Lawrence. McGrew sent videos of the pair performing sex acts on each other. Lawrence rode with McGrew in an Uber to the location, where they were arrested without incident. They told deputies that they are custodians at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios.
Lawrence was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count Traveling to Meet a Minor For Sex
· One count Attempted Lewd Battery
17. 37-year-old Edward McGaffigan of Orlando
On August 1, 2021, McGaffigan engaged in an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, then asked for her phone number and communicated with her that way. He told the "girl" that he wanted to have sex with her, then he sent her several explicit photos of himself. Detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest, and he was taken into custody at his Orlando home. He told deputies that he is a professional poker player. His criminal history includes a previous arrest for DUI (in Virginia).
McGaffigan was arrested in Orlando on the Polk warrant and booked into the Orange County Jail for:
· One count Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device
· Three counts Transmission of Material Harmful to Minor”
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