The Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida has conducted a multi-agency undercover operation known as “Operation Predator V,” leading to the arrest of eight people for online sex crimes against minors. Including assistance from the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office, the Lakeland, Davenport, Auburndale, and Lake Wales police departments, the investigation took place from February 22 to 29. Authorities said the suspects talked to and targeted people they believed to be kids or adults with internet access to kids. After reportedly turning up to an undercover site in Polk County on multiple allegedl ..read more

A 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Florida and Phi Delta Theta fraternity brother was arrested Wednesday on charges of sexual battery. The Gainesville Police Department believes that the man and the alleged victim communicated via Snapchat for about 3 weeks. They apparently ran into each other at a downtown bar Wednesday and went to the man’s residence around 1 a.m. and engaged in consensual sex. Shortly after the consensual sex, the alleged victim told police that the man forced himself upon them even though there was no consent. The man did stop, but only after several minutes, acc ..read more

Actor Gary Busey, 78, known for playing the role of Chet Steadman in the 1993 classic “Rookie of the Year” and featured in the films “Point Break” and “The Buddy Holly Story,” is now facing several sex offense charges in connection with alleged incidents that occurred at Monster-Mania Con at a Doubletree Hotel near Philadelphia. Busey was a featured celebrity at the convention that was held from Aug. 12 to 14. On Friday, Cherry Hill detectives charged Busey, who resides in Malibu, California, with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, one count of criminal attempt/crimina ..read more

A teacher for the Pasco County School district has been arrested and charged with custodial authority sexual battery on a student. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation into the 32-year-old man on January 2, 2022, after they received information about an alleged inappropriate relationship between the male teacher and student. The alleged incidents took place when the student was 14-years-old ..read more

A Hillsborough County high school teacher is facing various charges for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a student for over a year, according to reports.  The 46-year-old teacher is facing 12 counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor for his alleged involvement with a female student who was under the age of 18. The sheriff’s office claims that from the time period between November 2019 and last December, the teacher allegedly had sex with the student, who was apparently in the man’s Spanish class at one point.  As of Saturday, the man remained in jail with bail set at ..read more

A former Hillsborough County teacher and coach has been arrested for the second time facing more allegations of child molestation, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The 33-year-old ex-teacher and former volunteer coach was arrested Wednesday on new charges stemming from a football player who has accused him of sexually abusing him more than 50 times between 2017 and 2021. The former volunteer coach has been released on bail. The man was initially arrested last month after being accused of inappropriately touching a child and showing pornographic images to the child at the ..read more

A former Palm Beach County, Florida deputy has been sentenced to three years in prison for attempting to rape a woman when responding to a call. On Thursday, the 42-year-old man was sentenced in Palm Beach County circuit court after admitting guilt to battery and attempted sexual battery. His sentencing was a part of a plea bargain with the prosecution.  His second trial was slated for later this month.  ..read more

A week long undercover sex sting operation has resulted in the arrest of 79 people, including a high school girls’ basketball coach and a pastor.  The sting was conducted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and called “Operation Takedown,” and launched to coincide with the past weekend’s WrestleMania 37 that was held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The HCSO said that they believed the large even would yield a high number of people looking to take advantage of those in the Tampa community through human trafficking.  Detectives created online profiles as part of the undercov ..read more

Former NFL player and Tampa Bay Buccaneer tight end Kellen Winslow II has accepted a new plea deal that will placed him behind bars for 14 years for rape, assaul, and other misdemeanor sex crimes, according to the plea agreement entered Friday in San Diego Superior Court. The new plea deal will replace a previous agreement from his November 2019 case, where he plead guilty to rape and sexual battery charges in order to avoid life behind bars. The previous deal had a sentencing range of 12 to 18 years in prison that would be decided by a judge following a sentencing hearing.  37-year-old W ..read more

A man is accused of flashing a woman and slapping her behind while she was walking to meet her boyfriend at a DeLand pub early Sunday, according to an arrest report. The 27-year-old man is now facing a charge of indecent exposure and battery in relation to the incident, reports show. According to the report, the woman was walking through the alley behind the pub around 1 a.m. when the man allegedly approached her and pulled out his genitals. The man allegedly asked the woman to touch him and he slapped her behind when she refused. The man allegedly followed the woman to the front door of the p ..read more