CHILD LIFE..March 1928 …..item 1..Parents urged to remain cautious following online sex sting (October 19, 2011) …
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"We have a program called secureflorida.org where people can contact us," he said. The website offers tips for parents and children to stay safe on the Internet and how to browse securely. FDLE also offers free classes on cyber security including social networking and online safety.
…..item 1)…. www.tallahassee.com ….More arrests expected as online sex sting expands statewide
11:59 PM, Oct. 19, 2011
By Jordan Culver
Democrat staff writer
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www.tallahassee.com/article/20111020/NEWS01/110200308/Par...
Parents should remain cautious when it comes to their children and the Internet, advises Assistant Special Agent Mike Phillips.
Predators are clever and will use any number of tricks to gain entry into a home through the Internet, said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent – one of two supervising investigators in a recent sting to nab 35 online sexual offenders.
"It’s not like guys are banging down your doors trying to steal your kids," he said. "But they are online." He added that it’s easy to get online and that these types of predators are sly, using the Internet to build a rapport with children.
FDLE agents are working with local sheriff’s offices to provide educational programs to warn young people about online sexual predators said Phillips. There are also in-house programs FDLE uses to give parents an edge in battling offenders.
"We have a program called secureflorida.org where people can contact us," he said. The website offers tips for parents and children to stay safe on the Internet and how to browse securely. FDLE also offers free classes on cyber security including social networking and online safety.
"We have staff that goes out and trains parents and speaks to kids. We’ve also partnered with the Florida Sheriff’s Association. We’re using school resources to train kids across the state."
Phillips said picking up more than 30 offenders in less than a week shows the prevalence of a real problem.
The sting has expanded statewide and more arrests are coming, said Phillips. During the operation, undercover officers played the role of an underage girl or an adult offering an underage girl for sex. The officers would talk with offenders via email and eventually arrange a meeting.
During the meetings officers would confront the men, who often attempted to persuade them that they were new to soliciting sex from minors, said Phillips.
"It does take them a little time to work up the courage to go and meet someone," he said. "Some of the guys mentioned in the chat that they knew there was a risk."
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www.tallahassee.com/article/20111020/NEWS01/110200308/Par...
The reach of the investigation is expanding statewide but most of the offenders arrested this week have local ties.
Jon Maxwell, 45, is employed by Leon County in the department of public works for mosquito control. County spokesman Jon Brown said he is still employed although he is suspended without pay.
Maxwell insisted on meeting two 14-year-olds and their father to "do a nudist thing," according to the arrest report.
Seven of the 35 arrested men were connected to the local universities. Four of the men are students at FSU: Eduardo A. Hernandez, 20, Bryce A. Blackwell, 21, Ho Yeaon Seo, 24 and Mitchell R. Angus, 21.
According to the probable cause affidavits, the men were given an address by an undercover officer online. Each man traveled to the location, attempting to meet with what they thought was a 14-year-old, but were instead arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department.
An FSU graduate teaching assistant, 32-year-old Ryan McCarthy, was also arrested. He has since been relieved of his position, said FSU Dean of Students Jeanine Ward-Roof.
One Florida A&M student was also arrested. Neil D. Chavez, 19, left from FAMU’s campus to meet with an undercover officer posing as a 28-year-old woman, who was offering her 14-year-old sister according to his arrest report.
FAMU Dean of Students Henry Kirby said students who are arrested will have their cases reviewed before any action is taken against them.
"It is premature at this point to state what specific course of action will be taken until the report is received and appropriately reviewed," he said.
FDLE’s Phillips said a lot of the offenders ignored the potential for police involvement.
"I call it an addiction," he said. "Their problem of wanting to meet kids for sex just overwhelms everything else."
The investigation, he said, is still far from over. Parents and minors are also coming forward after hearing about the sting and the men arrested.
"We’re going to continue working proactive investigations to identify folks preying on our kids," Phillips said. "It’s not just this type of sting. We’re working a number of different techniques and technologies to arrest these guys."
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