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April 2, 2007
28 Men Charged With Soliciting Child Sex
Topics: NewsSome traveled across the state and others were just a county away, but detectives said the men came for the same reason: to have sex with youngsters they met on the Internet.
When they arrived at a house in Polk County, instead of being greeted by young teens, they were welcomed by detectives with handcuffs.
All 28 suspects were charged with soliciting sex from a child, a felony, during a weeklong sting called Operation Cyber Hawk, a multiagency effort led by Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Some faced other charges, and more arrests may result from the operation.
Those arrested were 17 to 55. Some were visiting Florida from other states, and seven were from the Tampa Bay area, authorities said.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, detectives talked to the men in online chat rooms and through instant messaging. They then set up to meet at an undisclosed residence in Polk County.
The men thought they were meeting boys and girls ages 13 and 14, Polk County sheriff’s spokeswoman Donna Wood said.
One man, Donald Getty, 40, of Kissimmee, asked a uniformed deputy for directions to the house. Another man, Anthony Buromei, 32, of Tampa, brought beer and pornographic movies with him, the sheriff’s office said.
National statistics show one in seven children receives an online sexual solicitation, and one in three has been exposed to unwanted sexual images online. The sheriff’s office said that only 10 percent of such solicitations are reported to authorities.
According to the sheriff’s office, these are suspects from the Tampa Bay area:
Buromei, a server at Steak and Ale, of 9918 Baylan Run, Apt. 201, Tampa; Milton Roe, 42, customer relations for Pulte Homes, of 6308 Bridgecrest Drive, Lithia; Manuel A. Hernandez, 31, unemployed, of 9312 N. 27th St., Tampa; Michael Jackson, 17, a student at Victory Christian Academy, of 1380 Bramble Wood Drive, Lakeland; Souhail “Steve” Kmed, 45, a sheet metal installer for Johnson Mechanical, of 4312 Carolyn Way, Bartow; Thomas Bradley, 22, a floor installer for P.F.I., of 1400 Grasslands Blvd., No. 87, Lakeland; and Shane Wietnecki, 28, a mechanic at Village Shores, of 6002 Cricket Hollow Drive, Riverview.
Reporter Mari Robyn Jones can be reached at (813) 259-7638 or mjones@tampatrib.com.
Posted by admin at April 2, 2007 8:02 PM
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