OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of nine men on Wednesday as part of an investigation into suspected child predators.
The undercover investigation — dubbed “Operation C.A.K.E.” (Cops Against Kid Exploitation) — saw detectives working with other law enforcement agencies to catch predators, deputies said.
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In a release, investigators said the investigation began on May 25, and it involved detectives posing as minors to locate online predators who wanted to have sex with children in their early teens.
When offenders arrived at a location to meet up with the supposed minor, they were met by law enforcement officers and taken into custody, the release shows.
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Nine men have been arrested as part of the operation. They are:
- Geraldo Caraballo-Rodriguez, 26
- Baldney Lasalle-Febus, 32
- Charles Brown, Jr., 21
- Jason Shaffer, 42
- Michael Boyette, 23
- Felix Zapata, 28
- Alex Hidalgo, 22
- Devontae Mathis, 22
- Damien Suhr, 40
“The sheriff would also like to remind parents to please monitor the social media and online accounts of their kids,” the release reads. “Predators exist and are looking for children to exploit.”
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