Orlando Sex Offenses Law Blog

It was an initiative called "Operation Red Cheeks" by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, an internet sting that has led to 40 people being accused of a variety of web-based sexual crimes. The charges include a variety of internet sex crimes, including online solicitation of a minor. The week-long investigation had police officers pose as either minors or the parents of children in instant messaging chat rooms, ultimately arranging a contact point that allowed police to detain the suspects.

That is one of the most important things to remember about this case - the 40 Florida residents arrested in this sting are only suspects at this point. They have not been convicted of a crime, and have a right to a fair and unbiased trial. Until the accusations against them are proved to be true, the people arrested are innocent until proven guilty.

Commissioners in Lake County, Florida pushed through a new ordinance earlier this month that will prevent registered sex offenders from living within 500 feet of another sex offender. The new restriction comes on the heels of an October ordinance that applied two bans to sex offenders regarding day-care centers, parks or playgrounds. The bans prevent offenders from living within 2,500 feet or being within 300 feet of the aforementioned areas.

With more than 400 people in Lake County who have gone through the sex offender registration process, these are impactful new restrictions. They apply only to a registered person whose victim was under the age of 16, but the newest ordinance cannot be applied retroactively. That means the ban does not apply to sex offenders who are currently living within 500 feet of another registered person.

Law enforcement officers in Tampa have accused a 52-year-old resident of Lutz, Florida of possession of child pornography. The defendant worked as an assistant swimming coach for Berkeley Preparatory School, which fired him after he was arrested. He had worked at the school since 1999.

The 52-year-old has not been arrested before in Florida according to state records. He is accused of having photo and video files constituting child pornography on a computer in his home. Approximately 100 counts of child pornography possession were lodged against him, according to a spokesman for the Hillsborough sheriff's Office.

A 27-year-old teacher pleaded no contest to two aggravated child abuse charges in December and avoided sex offender registration after being accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with one of her students. The woman would have had to face a total of 90 years in prison - 30 years for each aggravated child abuse charge, and 30 years total for two counts of aggravated battery she was also charged with - but will serve just three years instead. After the woman's prison sentence is complete, she will have five years of probation.

Avoiding sex offender registration was very important to the 27-year-old teacher. The teacher was offered another deal by prosecutors which would have spared her jail time but also would have labeled her a sex offender.