Undercover Internet Sting Nabs Eleven Men for Traveling to Polk to Have Sex With Children

Posted by: Lilsis on: April 7, 2008

• In: News | Osceola County | Polk County
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The multi-agency effort, directed by PCSO detectives, is the fourth such operation conducted in Polk County that demonstrates law enforcement’s continuous commitment to fighting Internet crimes against children, and the first operation conducted since PCSO became the ICAC Task Force coordinator for the central Florida area. During the operation, undercover detectives used chat rooms and instant messaging programs to direct suspects to the location in Polk County.

Sheriff Grady Judd expressed his ongoing commitment to protecting children’s emotional and physical well-being. “Paladin means ‘someone who fights for a cause.’ These dedicated men and women of law enforcement are fighting for the most important cause—our children. They are fighting to keep them safe from online predators. We have proven time and again that these pedophiles will stop at nothing to satisfy their perverse desires, no matter how many times we conduct operations such as this one. Despite the repeated warnings and media coverage, they still show up, and they are all arrested.” 

Those arrested lived in cities around Florida and traveled to the undercover location in Polk County with the purpose of having sex with a child. Most of them sent pornographic images to the undercover detectives who were posing as children; some brought alcohol or drugs (see list of individual names on next page for who brought what). One suspect, Michael Tyburski, asked the undercover detective twice during their online chat if the detective was part of a “Dateline” sting or if he was a cop. Tyburski came to the residence armed with a box cutter hidden in his sock, telling detectives during a post-Miranda interview that the box cutter was for protection in case it was a “set up.” Tyburski also told detectives he had in his possession a compact disc which contained child pornography—and it contained 30 images.