There were 17 Disney World and Universal Studios employees among 281 suspects arrested during a law enforcement operation targeting human trafficking and child sexual predators, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Friday. Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference Friday that the joint operation, which took place over seven days, focused on catching predators who prey on children and travel to meet them for illegal sexual activity and human trafficking. He said 31 of the suspects traveled to the county to try to have sex with a child. Judd said during the press conference that 13 of the arrested suspects were Disney employees and four were Universal Studios employees. “It is extremely disturbing when we encounter nasty child predators like these who are very eager to have sex with children. That is why we conduct these types of sting operations,” Judd said in a statement. Judd said 32 suspects were undocumented immigrants and so far 16 have been transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Additionally, he said 24 of the suspects brought firearms to the meetings and nine were on parole. The sheriff highlighted details of some of the suspects arrested. One of the suspects arrested is the head coach of the Florida team, the Davenport Titans, where he trains children between the ages of 11 and 14, the sheriff said. He thought he was traveling to meet a 14-year-old girl, the sheriff said. Another suspect was on active duty in the Navy. Another, the sheriff said, a former Disney employee, worked as a Mickey Mouse character and had a diaper fetish. Authorities caught him with two backpacks full of diapers, the sheriff said. The sheriff said they also arrested a Disney employee, who had his uniform in the car, to meet with an undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old boy. Disney cooperated with authorities, the sheriff said during the news conference, telling him they had since fired all employees. CBS News has reached out to Disney and Universal Studios for further comment. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
