POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Hundreds of people have been arrested in another “Fool Around and Find Out — Again” operation.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said deputies are doing all they can do to keep these people off the streets.
This operation lasted seven days and in total, Sheriff Grady Judd said 246 people have been arrested. Many of them are repeat offenders.
Hundreds of mugshots lined the walls at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Friday morning.
Judd said out of the 246 arrested, 230 were human trafficking arrests and 16 people were arrested as child sexual predators.
“We arrested 16 travelers, that’s right, they were sexual deviants that thought they were coming to a home to have sex with a child,” Judd said.
According to Judd, among those arrested, 46 individuals are in the country without legal documentation, with the majority hailing from Florida. He noted that 37 of these arrests were made in his own county.
“You’d think that people in Polk County would be aware by now and avoid getting caught, especially since we frequently conduct these operations and detain over 200 people each time. It only highlights that, even within our community, some individuals remain completely oblivious,” he remarked.
A common theme officials pointed out was the fact that many of those arrested are repeat offenders.
Attorney General James Uthmeier emphasized, “What’s particularly noteworthy is that these individuals collectively have over 650 previous charges against them.”
The agencies involved are dedicated to removing these offenders from the streets and aim to keep them incarcerated for as long as possible, with their foremost goal being the protection of children.
Uthmeier warned, “Parents need to become more vigilant. With today’s technological advances, malicious individuals are constantly finding new methods to reach your children. This is a clear indication of that.”
Judd mentioned that those arrested range in age from 18 to 67 and stressed the importance for criminals to understand that law enforcement agencies are collaborating to combat crime effectively.
