HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister and The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shared they arrested 148 people and recovered seven victims during "Operation Summer Shield," an undercover human trafficking operation.
HCSO said they rented a room to meet with the suspects. HCSO said the demand to purchase sex was so great that detectives had to rent a second room for the operation.
This led to a record number of human trafficking arrests for HCSO.
According to Sheriff Chronister, 11 suspects were charged with human trafficking, and seven victims were rescued. Two of the victims were minors.
Officials said the two minors were placed under the care of One More Child.
One of the arrests authorities highlighted was John Randall Craddock, 33. Craddock allegedly talked with a 15-year-old girl online, unaware that he was communicating with an undercover detective. HCSO said Craddock sent explicit text and audio messages to the 15-year-old describing the acts he wanted to perform. Craddock then traveled to meet the girl and was instead met by HCSO detectives.
Craddock was charged with traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to solicit certain illegal acts, attempted lewd or lascivious battery, and transmission of harmful material to a minor, among other charges.
HCSO said Dontae Burton, 39, was allegedly forcing a 17-year-old girl to have sex for profit while she was living at home with her mother. Detectives said Burton would post photos of the girl on escort websites, set up dates, and collect money from her forced encounters. Burton was arrested and charged. The girl was rescued.
Dennis Jose Aguilar-Maroto, 35, allegedly began grooming a 16-year-old girl before he started paying for sex acts from her when she was 17. Deputies found Aguilar-Maroto and the girl at an abandoned restaurant in Brandon and arrested him. He was charged with human trafficking, traveling to meet a minor and unlawful use of a two-way device.
The operation lasted for 102 days.
Click below to watch the full news conference.
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