For Immediate Release
June 4, 2019
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Charlotte, Collier, and Lee county sheriff’s offices, Cape Coral and Fort Myers police departments, and Homeland Security Investigations announce the arrests of 15 people in Operation Safe Summer.  
 
During Operation Safe Summer law enforcement focused on identifying and apprehending suspects engaged in downloading child pornography or using the internet to commit crimes against children.  The operation focused on suspects in the Fort Myers region over a four-month period from February through May.
 
Numerous individuals were charged with crimes including possession of child pornography, promotion, distribution, production of child pornography, lewd and lascivious molestation, sexual battery on a child and failure to report child abuse. Two children were rescued from sexual abuse and dozens of other child victims were identified through these investigations.
 
Some of the suspects arrested during this coordinated effort included persons that held positions of authority and direct association with children, such as teachers, leaders of youth organizations, a parks and recreation employee, and business owners.
 
As children are starting summer vacation, law enforcement would like to provide information to families on ways to help protect children. Please visit the following links to learn more about keeping children safe this summer.
 
http://www.secureflorida.org
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MCICSearch/SafetyTips.asp
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MA/Mobile-Devices.aspx
http://www.kidsmartz.org/
http://www.netsmartz.org
https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/sops/home.jsf
 
For further information contact:
Gretl Plessinger, Jessica Cary or Jeremy Burns
FDLE Office of Public Information
(850) 410-7001