Eight charged with attempting to have sex with children, Polk sheriff says

Eight people were charged in a large, multi-agency sting targeting people who solicit minors for sex during the last week in February, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

According to the Sheriff's Office, five of the suspects thought they were speaking to adults to had access to children, and attempted to pay those adults hundreds of dollars to have sex with children. Those five have been charged with human trafficking, a life felony.

Arrest warrants were also issued for three people the Sheriff's Office said attempted to solicit children directly online for sex. Two of those suspects are in custody, but a third is still at large.

The undercover operation took place between Feb. 22 and 29 and involved Polk County sheriff's detectives as well as the Auburndale Police Department, Davenport Police Department, Lakeland Police Department, Lake Wales Police Department, and Hardee County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff's Office said the suspects communicated with and solicited people they thought were children or adults who had access to children online. Five suspects — the ones who attempted to pay adults — showed up to an undercover location in Polk County to engage in sex with children.

“We conduct proactive operations like this to help keep our children safe," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release. "I’m so thankful for our detectives and partnering agencies for their hard work to keep our children safe from predators who sexually abuse, groom and corrupt our children. Parents need to be ‘all up in their child’s business’ when it comes to electronic devices that give them access to online gaming, mobile applications, texting or the internet. Check their devices regularly, and ensure parental controls are enabled to keep predators like these away from your kids.”

In all, detectives filed 27 felony charges against those eight suspects.

Also during February, the Sheriff's Office charged 16 sex offenders and predators with failing to comply with Florida's registration laws.

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The Sheriff's Office said registered offenders and predators are checked every quarter by Polk County law enforcement officers, although the state only requires that predators be checked quarterly and offenders once a year. According to the Sheriff's Office, all 16 people arrested during the February operation have prior sex offenses involving children.

Among the offenses were failing register within a required month, failing to update driver licenses, failing to register a vehicle and failing to report internet usage.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: PCSO: Eight people charged with soliciting children for sex