Authorities in Sarasota County, Florida have arrested 25 men—who allegedly tried to meet children for sex—during a four-day undercover operation that was focused on taking out online predators and human traffickers, police said at a press conference on Friday, July 26.
Of the 25 men who were busted over July 17-20, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office observed that “their jobs run the gamut.” Among them were a U.S. Navy officer, an Uber driver, a salesman, and a handyman.
“Watch this video and remember to have that tough conversation with your son or daughter tonight. One day they will thank you.”
“The men arrested during this operation managed to blend into society and attempted to prey on children by developing a trust through promises to exploit them for sexual purposes.”
Catching the Alleged Sex Predators
Police were able to lure the men, who ranged in age from 19-65, by using internet-based ads, online apps, and social media sites. The men then engaged in “sexually explicit written and verbal conversations” with investigators who pretended to be children, before they turned up at a home where police awaited to arrest them.One man who was arrested was enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a chief petty officer and was scheduled to deploy the following day. The man, Travis Deel, 39, had allegedly expected to have sex with a 14-year-old girl, according to police.
Another man was Georgios Bakomihalis, 27, of Wimauma, who after he was arrested told officers that he was registered as an Uber driver.
The others of the 25 men arrested held vocations as tradesmen, cooks, and salesmen, among others. Three had already committed sexual offenses, one was an illegal immigrant, another was in ICE custody, and another was found to have been violating his probation.
The Sarasota Sheriff’s Office also noted some other dangerous behavior the men exhibited.
“One of the suspects rode a three-wheel bicycle to the home while in possession of cocaine and another brought with him two firearms and several narcotics. One man attempted to lure the child into his vehicle while several sent [them] explicit photos and brought condoms with them,” police said in their statement.
Advice For Parents and Guardians
At the press conference on July 26, Knight said that police have no control over whether potential predators are using the social media apps to contact children, so “this is very important for parents, guardians, adults who have children to know what they’re looking at on their phones.
“We can arrest, but we can’t prevent,” he continued. “And my hope is of the six operations that it would be a form of prevention for these individuals to realize that going into Sarasota County there’s an opportunity to get arrested.
“But the best prevention for these children is the adults to know what’s on the phones.”
Knight said he hopes that parents and guardians will “be responsible to protect their children.”
Knight said at the press conference that he “doesn’t see this stopping” until there is adequate prevention and parents can see what’s on their children’s phones.
