Among 160 people arrested during a weeklong sting focused on human trafficking in Florida’s Polk County was a Georgia deputy police chief.
“Faul Haul 2” identified two trafficking victims and possibly five more during the operation led by the Polk County Sheriff’s department. Detectives screened prostitutes who traveled to provide sexual services to determine if they were victims of trafficking or exploitation.
“The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked,” said Sheriff Grady Judd in a statement. “Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings (Johns) and those profiting from the exploitation of human beings.”
Cartersville, Georgia, Deputy Police Chief Jason DiPrima visited Orlando for a polygraph training workshop. He answered an online advertisement from an undercover detective whom he believed was a prostitute, Judd said.
“He initially agreed to pay the undercover detective $120 for a half hour of “full service” sex,” the sheriff explained. “When he arrived at the undisclosed location, he confirmed the arrangement by giving the undercover detective $180 and a multi-pack of White Claw Hard Seltzer.”
Fox News further reported:
Among those arrested in the operation were two Disney employees, a state corrections officer, several teachers and a deputy police chief from Georgia.
Cameron Burke was a high school IT expert from the city of Ocoee who was arrested for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student. He was released on bond and was busted during the sting for soliciting a prostitute.
Carlos Gonzales, an Osceola County math teacher, and John Layton, an Orange County physical education teacher, were also arrested in the operation.
Judd said Jason DiPrima, deputy police chief of the Cartersville Police Department in Georgia, is “no longer a police officer.”
The Cartersville Police Department said in a press release that DiPrima had resigned from his post on Thursday. The department had previously placed him on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
“If all else fails, he can write a book: How to ruin your career in three easy steps,” Sheriff Judd remarked about DiPrima.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.