Technorati Tags: Focus,victims,Stop,children,article,NEWS,Title,Child,Timothy,Keck,Eagle,Lake,officer,Polk,Sheriff,Office,possession,Grady,Judd,conference,termination,December,performance,Godefrin,Chief,Last,WINTER,HAVEN,Among,teacher,radio,teens,Operation,Shield,custody,Northeast,District,Substation,Jean,Pierre,Johnston,Fitzgerald,Road,Lakeland,Douglas,Kulda,Scott,Jose,Ornelas,Daisy,Loop,David,Soli,Clarence,Williams,Hawk,investigation,February,computer,images,Though,prosecution,Assistant,State,Attorney,Brad,Legislature,pictures,guidelines,prison,Where,battery,length,Some,victim,times,tears,expressions,individuals,street,Internet,message,world,professions,Photos,crimes,infants,streets,computers,pornography,daddy,newschief,rape,predatorsThey hear "Stop daddy it hurts" and they still want to know who these children are and why someone is letting it happen?
http://www.newschief.com/article/20090529/NEWS/905295028/1021?Title=Focus-turns-to-victims
Focus now turns to child pornography victims
Child porn sting nets 39 suspects, 6 remain at large
Timothy Keck, right, a former Eagle Lake police officer and most recently a former Polk County Sheriff's Office deputy, was one of the 39 people arrested by the Sheriff's Office on charges of possession of child pornography. Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference that Keck's termination, which occurred in December 2008, was because of poor performance. Thursday, May 28, 2009
By Shelly Godefrin
News Chief staffPublished: Friday, May 29, 2009 at 4:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 29, 2009 at 1:39 a.m.WINTER HAVEN - Among the many professions, they are an ex-police officer and Sheriff's Office deputy, a retired school teacher, an IT professional, a radio technician and a pilot. They are teens and adults. They live in all corners of Polk County. And they have been charged in a giant child pornography sting by the Polk County Sheriff's Office - all 45 of them.
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Forty-five Polk County men, including four juveniles - one 16-year-old and three 17-year-olds - have been charged with possession of child pornography. Thirty-nine were in custody as of late Thursday. Six men are still being sought.
"We'll find you and put you in jail," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference Thursday morning at the Sheriff's Office Northeast District Substation in Winter Haven.
The following suspects are still at large:
Jean-Pierre Johnston, 49, of 310 Fitzgerald Road, Lakeland; Douglas Kulda, 23, of 1401 Ave. G, N.E., Winter Haven; Scott Liberatore, 25, of 99 14th St., S.E., Winter Haven; Jose Ornelas, 23, of 334 Lake Daisy Loop Road, Winter Haven; David Soli, 40, of 310 Fitzgerald Road, Lakeland; and Clarence Williams, 40, of 443 Red Hawk Loop, Winter Haven.
Labeled "Operation Child Shield," the undercover investigation began in February and focused on prepubescent child victims. Sheriff's Office computer crimes detectives seized approximately 12,000 child pornographic images, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Charges ranged from one count to 50 counts of possession of child pornography. Though some men possessed thousands of images, the cutoff number is 50 for prosecution, according to Assistant State Attorney Brad Copely, who is the chief prosecutor in this case.
"Fortunately, the Legislature has taken this very seriously, so just the possession of 40 or 50 pictures makes these gentlemen score way high up in the guidelines in looking at many years in state prison," Copely said.
All of the men who were charged live in Polk County, but it's difficult to know if the child victims are local, Judd said.
"That is our focus," Judd said. "Where are these children? And why is everyone who knows who these children are sitting back quietly, allowing them to be victims of this sadistic rape, sexual battery and lewd molestation?"
The confiscated videos range in length between a few seconds to 90 minutes. Some videos have multiple child victims, but the majority involved a single child victim.
Judd said one video seized instructs child predators and child rapists how to have sex with children between the ages of birth and 8 years old.
Copely said that when sound was added to videos, those viewing the videos could hear the children cry.
"The first time I heard a child say, 'Stop, daddy, it hurts,' it was tough," Copely said.
Copely said most of the pictures seized are of children ages 4 to 7 years old, though some were of infants less than 1 year old. He said child pornography images are "traded like baseball cards."
Copely said that during a trial jurors who have to view the images and videos are effected emotionally.
"Something comes over them," Copely said. "A lot of times it comes out in tears and it comes out in facial expressions. By the end of the trial, they're greatly impacted."
Copely said almost all of those arrested will do time. He said the standard will start the prison time at seven years, but there are exceptions for younger people charged.
"All of the individuals here who are over 21, I can assure you are looking at state prison," Copely said.
Judd said he promises to continue to go after predators and child pornographers.
"We want it to be safe for our children to walk the streets, which it is in this county," Judd said. "We even want it to be safe to walk the street of the Internet, which it's not."
He said there are approximately 9 million images and videos of child rape victims on the Internet today and he wants to look into legislation to authorize law enforcement to crash computers of those who are found to have child pornography.
Judd also had a message for those in Polk County who are currently in possession of child pornography.
"We'll chase these perverts around the world," Judd said. "If we didn't get you this time or last time, we'll get you next time."
