Florida authorities report 488 criminal charges, including 198 felonies, following a seven-day investigation targeting suspected child sexual predators, prostitution-related offenses, and human trafficking.
WINTER HAVEN, FL – October 30, 2026 (STL.News) A seven-day undercover law enforcement operation in Central Florida resulted in 281 arrests, including individuals associated with Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, as investigators targeted suspected child sexual predators, prostitution-related offenses, and potential human trafficking.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced the results Friday alongside Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and representatives of participating agencies.
The operation, named Polk Around and Find Out II, produced 488 new criminal charges, including 198 felonies and 290 misdemeanors.
Authorities reported that 17 people arrested during the investigation had employment connections to Central Florida theme parks. Thirteen were associated with Disney and four with Universal Orlando.
Seven of the theme park workers were among those accused of attempting to arrange unlawful sexual encounters involving minors.
Other defendants included an Orange County sheriff’s deputy, a youth football coach, and an active-duty United States Navy service member.
Investigators also reported identifying 11 possible human trafficking victims and worked with social service organizations to offer assistance.
Judd described the investigation as the largest undercover operation the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has conducted.
The arrests attracted widespread attention because of the number of defendants, the allegations involving children, and the connections of several suspects to major family entertainment destinations.
Seven-Day Investigation Produces 281 Arrests
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office conducted simultaneous undercover investigations focusing on suspected child sexual exploitation and prostitution-related criminal activity.
According to the sheriff’s October 30 announcement, the operation resulted in 239 prostitution-related arrests, 31 arrests involving suspected child sexual predators, and 11 arrests involving other alleged offenses.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office reported the same overall total of 281 arrests but classified the investigations differently, identifying 32 arrests in the child-predator operation and 249 in the broader commercial-sex investigation.
This report uses the sheriff’s original three-category breakdown.
The commercial-sex investigation included 117 people accused of soliciting prostitution after traveling to undercover locations to negotiate sexual encounters in exchange for money.
Another 122 people were arrested on prostitution-related allegations and screened for possible human trafficking or exploitation.
In the child-predator investigation, undercover detectives communicated electronically with adults who allegedly believed they were arranging unlawful sexual encounters with minors.
Investigators said suspects traveled to designated meeting locations after communicating with officers posing as children or guardians.
Authorities reported that only 40 of those arrested lived in Polk County.
Other defendants traveled from elsewhere in Florida and beyond.
The operation required coordination among investigators responsible for electronic communications, surveillance, suspect identification, arrests, evidence collection, and victim screening.
Disney and Universal Workers Among Those Arrested
The involvement of individuals associated with Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando became one of the investigation’s most widely reported developments.
According to Sheriff Judd, 17 arrested individuals had connections to theme park employment, including 13 linked to Disney and four to Universal.
Seven were among the defendants accused of attempting to arrange unlawful sexual encounters involving children.
One defendant, Adam Snyder, 24, of Champions Gate, Florida, reportedly told investigators he worked in Toy Story Land at Walt Disney World.
According to the sheriff’s office, Snyder communicated online with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old boy before traveling to an arranged meeting location.
Investigators reported finding part of a Disney work uniform and an employee identification badge in his vehicle.
Snyder was among those accused of traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual activity.
Another defendant, Collin Klaco, 24, of Clermont, Florida, reportedly told detectives he previously worked as a Mickey Mouse character performer at Walt Disney World.
According to investigators, Klaco communicated with an undercover detective posing as the guardian of a 13-year-old boy before traveling to an arranged meeting location.
Authorities reported finding two backpacks containing diapers when Klaco arrived.
The sheriff’s office said Klaco faced felony charges involving traveling to meet a minor, computer-related solicitation, use of a communication device to commit a felony, and attempted lewd or lascivious battery.
Klaco reportedly told investigators that he was no longer employed by Disney at the time of his arrest.
The distinction is important because the reported connections between defendants and theme park employers included current and former employment.
During Friday’s news conference, Judd said Disney had informed investigators that employees implicated in the arrests had been terminated.
The reported employment connections do not establish wrongdoing by Disney or Universal.
Authorities did not allege that either company’s management participated in the suspected criminal conduct or that the alleged offenses occurred at theme park attractions.
Eleven Possible Human Trafficking Victims Identified
A significant component of the operation involved identifying people potentially experiencing exploitation through commercial sex.
Investigators worked with nonprofit organizations and state agencies to evaluate individuals encountered during the prostitution-related investigation.
Authorities reported identifying 11 possible human trafficking victims.
The nonprofit organization One More Child participated in the victim-assistance effort.
According to the organization’s representatives, its staff spoke with 93 people during the operation.
Eighteen individuals had agreed to receive services when the announcement was made.
The services included outreach and support intended to assist people potentially experiencing trafficking or other forms of exploitation.
Human trafficking can involve force, fraud, or coercion used to compel commercial sexual activity or labor.
Under federal law, commercial sexual exploitation involving minors can constitute sex trafficking without proof of force, fraud, or coercion.
However, prostitution-related offenses do not automatically constitute human trafficking.
That distinction is important because the investigation involved multiple categories of suspected criminal conduct.
The identification of 11 possible trafficking victims does not establish that all 281 defendants participated in trafficking.
Authorities identified two defendants in the child-predator investigation who faced specific human trafficking charges.
Other defendants faced different criminal allegations.
The victim-screening process was intended to identify people who might need protection and assistance, rather than automatically treating everyone involved in commercial-sex activity as a trafficking offender.
Youth Football Coach Among Those Arrested
The investigation also resulted in the arrest of a Central Florida youth football coach.
Authorities identified the defendant as Rashion Crayton, 31, of Bartow, Florida.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Crayton was associated with the Davenport Titans youth football organization.
Investigators alleged that Crayton communicated with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl.
Authorities reported that he exchanged sexually explicit messages before traveling to an arranged meeting location.
The sheriff’s office said Crayton arrived with items investigators considered consistent with the alleged planned encounter.
He faced felony allegations involving traveling to meet a minor and attempted lewd or lascivious battery.
The arrest attracted attention because youth sports coaches frequently work directly with children and hold positions of responsibility.
However, investigators did not establish through the announcement that children participating in the football organization were victims of the alleged conduct.
The criminal allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings.
Navy Service Member Among Defendants
An active-duty United States Navy service member was also among those arrested in the child-predator investigation.
Authorities identified the defendant as Dang Thai, 24, of Jacksonville, Florida.
According to investigators, Thai communicated with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl.
The sheriff’s office reported that he discussed meeting the person he believed was a minor before traveling to an arranged location.
Thai faced felony allegations involving attempted unlawful sexual activity with a minor and related electronic communications.
The allegations remain subject to prosecution.
Any potential military disciplinary proceedings would be separate from the Florida criminal case.
Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested
The operation also resulted in the arrest of an Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Authorities identified the deputy as Eric Raymond, 40, of Winter Garden, Florida.
According to investigators, Raymond responded to an undercover advertisement and allegedly agreed to pay $110 for a sexual encounter.
He was charged with solicitation of prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida law.
The allegation involved prostitution solicitation.
Raymond was not identified as one of the defendants accused of attempting to arrange sexual activity with a minor.
His arrest nevertheless attracted attention because law enforcement officers are entrusted with enforcing criminal laws and maintaining professional standards.
Any administrative or employment-related action would be separate from the criminal proceedings.
Two Defendants Face Human Trafficking Charges
Authorities identified two defendants in the child-predator investigation who faced human trafficking charges.
One defendant, Derrick Opitz, 27, allegedly offered $500 to a person he believed was the guardian of a child in exchange for sexual access to the minor.
A second defendant, Odlanier Marrero Rodriguez, 22, allegedly offered marijuana in exchange for sexual activity involving a child.
According to investigators, both defendants were communicating with undercover detectives rather than actual guardians arranging access to children.
The allegations resulted in human trafficking charges and other criminal counts involving electronic communications and attempted unlawful sexual activity with minors.
These cases are distinct from the prostitution-related arrests involving many of the other defendants.
Prosecutors must establish the elements of each alleged offense through the judicial process.
Hundreds of Criminal Charges Filed
The 281 defendants collectively faced 488 new criminal charges.
According to authorities, those charges included 198 felonies and 290 misdemeanors.
Investigators also reported that the defendants collectively had 798 prior criminal charges, including 358 felonies.
Those figures refer to previous charges and should not be interpreted as confirmed convictions.
Authorities reported that 24 suspects brought firearms to the operation.
Investigators also filed drug possession charges against 32 individuals.
The sheriff’s office reported that 32 people arrested during the operation were unlawfully present in the United States.
Federal immigration authorities participated in the investigation and conducted immigration-related enforcement activities.
Those immigration findings are separate from the determination of guilt or innocence on the underlying criminal charges.
The investigation involved assistance from the Florida Attorney General’s Office, local police departments, county sheriff’s offices, and federal law enforcement agencies.
The coordinated operation allowed investigators to pursue suspects from multiple jurisdictions while conducting victim screening and collecting evidence.
Criminal Cases Will Move Through the Courts
The arrests announced October 30 mark the beginning of criminal proceedings, not final determinations of guilt.
Prosecutors must evaluate the evidence supporting each individual charge.
Defendants may face initial court appearances, bond proceedings, formal charging decisions, pretrial motions, negotiated resolutions, or criminal trials.
Some felony allegations involving attempted sexual activity with minors carry substantial potential prison sentences.
Other defendants face misdemeanor prostitution-related offenses with different potential penalties.
The outcomes will depend on the evidence, applicable Florida statutes, and individual court proceedings.
The operation also illustrates the importance of distinguishing among suspected criminal conduct, trafficking victim identification, and established criminal responsibility.
Authorities reported identifying 11 possible trafficking victims, but that finding does not establish that every defendant participated in trafficking.
Similarly, the reported employment of certain defendants at Disney or Universal does not establish criminal responsibility by those companies.
For law enforcement agencies, the investigation represents a substantial coordinated effort to identify suspected offenders and people potentially experiencing exploitation.
For the individuals identified as possible trafficking victims, assistance from participating organizations may provide access to protective services and longer-term support.
For the defendants, the allegations will now move through the criminal justice system, where prosecutors must establish guilt under applicable legal standards.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office described the operation as part of its continuing efforts to protect children, investigate suspected sexual exploitation, and identify human trafficking victims.
The investigation’s significance extends beyond the number of arrests. It also demonstrates the challenges involved in investigating online sexual exploitation, distinguishing trafficking from other commercial-sex offenses, and providing assistance to people who may be experiencing coercion or abuse.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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