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March 20, 2008
Child Porn Ring Busted in Polk County
Topics: NewsBY: Melanie Brooks
Polk County, Florida – It is such a shocking story, with content so disturbing, as I wrote this, I actually had to take a break and walk away from the computer.
They are children.
Innocent, trusting, honest. They are violated in ways that no one can possibly fathom. Victims as young as a month old... an infant, violated by an adult male.
How does this happen? And, more importantly, why?
Detectives in Polk County have been working on this for months, and many are so weary and shocked themselves, they too have to take a break now and then from the case. That's because they must sift through more than 100,000 computer images of children having sex with grown men, each other and animals.
“These men are disgusting, absolutely disgusting, Their activities are deviant,” Sheriff Grady Judd said Thursday morning at a news conference.
Twenty-one men, some of them rousted out of their beds early Thursday morning, were arrested and walked in front of the media, one by one. Men who have admitted to being addicted to child pornography. Men who, the Sheriff says, downloaded thousands of Internet videos and pictures.
One man even admits to keeping a gallon jug under his computer desk so he could urinate into it. That's how much he never wanted to leave his computer. His name, Joseph Allen, and he's being called the “ugly poster child” for this operation.
“He admits he's been collecting child porn for eight years. He possessed over 80,000 images himself,” Grady said.
“They had photos and movies of adult males with young children. They had photos of very young children having sex with other very young children. They had photographs of very young children having sex with animals.”
It turns your stomach. But, that's not the end of it. Detectives found how-to manuals on violating children with step-by-step instructions, and vivid, stark pictures. The instructions show household items used in sexual ways with teens, toddlers, even babies.
The Sheriff shook his head as he described the material, “It gave a list of equipment, techniques. It even gave a warning to be careful, so that you don't leave evidence for a wife to find, or for the child's mother to find.”
It is considered the largest child pornography ring busted in Polk County. Detectives began their investigation back in October 2007, with the arrests taking place this morning.
And these are probably guys you ran into every day. They worked at places, including Publix, one at University Community Hospital, Outback Steakhouse, Checkers, Allen Auto Sales and Circle K.
“Most of them tell us they had a passing interest. Many told us, they were absolutely addicted to child porn,” the Sheriff mentioned.
Quite possibly the saddest element to this story, these children cannot be found. Most of the videos were made overseas, where child pornography and trafficking is common practice. No one knows where they are. No one knows the pain they are going through and will most likely be subjected to again.
They are the victims, with voices you will never hear. Their faces forever remembered on video, being watched by the cruelest, wretched, and deviant people you could possibly imagine.
Babies, teenagers, boys, girls. Someone's daughter, someone's cousin. Many never to be found. Their lives altered forever by those they will never see.
Melanie Brooks, Tampa Bay's 10 News
Posted by admin at March 20, 2008 7:48 PM
