*Originally published on 7/30/2024. Updated on 8/1/2024 to indicate two additional arrests in the operation.
*Warning: The embedded video contains explicit language that might not be suitable for all audiences and situations. It could be offensive to some.
OCALA, FL (352today.com) – UPDATE, 8/1/2024: The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says they have arrested two additional men in connection with Operation Summertime Blues, an online sting to catch adult men who planned meetings with children to have sex with them.
On Thursday, July 31, deputies arrested 26-year-old Paul Clayton on a warrant for three counts of Transmitting Information Harmful to a Child, Using a Computer to Lure a Child, and Utilizing a Two-Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony. They say Clayton sent numerous explicit photos and messages with detailed descriptions of what he wanted to do with a girl he thought was 14 years old.
“Clayton acknowledged the presumed child’s age numerous times and expressed excitement about knowing it was unlawful,” said MCSO in a news release.
In addition, On Wednesday, July 30, deputies arrested 51-year-old Michael Salfisberg on a warrant for Using a Computer to Lure a Child, Transmitting Information Harmful to a Child, and Utilizing a Two-Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony. They say Salfisberg was one of the men detectives from the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children task force chatted with during the online sting operation.
“Even though he did not travel to meet with the presumed minor, he engaged in sexually explicit conversations and sent explicit photos to someone he believed was a child,” said MCSO in a news release.
ORIGINAL, 7/30/2024: There are nearly three dozen men who won’t have to wonder what they’re going to do this summer, because they’ve been arrested as part of a sting operation.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) arrested 33 men who they say were seeking sex with children. Operation Summertime Blues 2024 went down the week of July 22-27. On Tuesday, July 30, the sheriff’s office held a news conference to reveal the results of the undercover operation.
MCSO says in one afternoon, they arrested nine sexual predators.
https://youtu.be/P0M6sWOdSJE
Operation Summertime Blues
Law enforcement officers posed as children between 13 and 15 years old and were approached by men online who intended to have some form of sex with them. Deputies communicated with the men through an escort website and dating apps including Skip the Games, Badoo and Sniffies.
“Instead of meeting the children, guess what? They meet us. We’re the ones sitting there waiting on them,” said Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods. “Most of the things said in those chats, parents should be disgusted, should be shocked. Frankly as a parent myself, and you as a parent, if you heard what was going on, you should be pissed off and infuriated.”
The sheriff says the men engaged in sexually explicit conversations, describing in graphic detail the sexual acts they intended to perform once they met the children.
“These sick individuals come from all walks of life,” said Woods. “Over six days, 33 arrests, and I promise you that’s not all of them who are out there.”
A closer look
Among those arrested were people whose positions put them around children on a regular basis.
Deputies arrested 48-year-old Joseph Quaranta on July 25th at the Race Trac gas station on College Rd. Deputies say the Dunnellon man thought he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl named Stevie. MCSO says Quaranta told them he is a volunteer little league baseball coach. He’s being held without bond.
Deputies also arrested 32-year-old Alberto Quiroz at the Denny’s restaurant in Ocala where they say he thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl. MCSO says Quiroz is an employee of Kids Central Inc which is a community-based agency that says it’s dedicated to the welfare of children. The agency works with the Department of Children and Families, often on foster and adoption cases.
NEW INFO 7/31/24: A spokesperson for Kids Central Inc told 352today that Quiroz was terminated as soon as they learned of his arrest. “Kids Central is required to conduct thorough background checks and received an eligible background screening result prior to employment,” said Kimberly McGlothern, Interim Director of Community Affairs. “The safety and well-being of the children in our system of care is our top priority.”
Deputies say 25-year-old Oscar DeJesus traveled from Georgia with the intent of receiving oral sex from a 14-year-old girl for $100 cash. They busted him on July 26 around 2 a.m. at the 7-Eleven gas station on 42nd Street. Deputies say he admitted to detectives that he preyed on children because they’re easy targets. The sheriff’s office says due to the nature of his comments, they believe there may be more victims.
Woods says some of the men, like 27-year-old Francisco Alvarez-Tello, are illegal aliens. They say he drove to meet a 14-year-old girl. When they arrested him, deputies say they discovered he didn’t have a valid driver’s license, was in possession of marijuana and a gun.
“Here’s what we learned about him from the U.S. Border Patrol, he was already in the process of deportation when we’re conducting the operation,” said Woods. “In my eyes, there is no process. An illegal alien who does this to our children, there is no packing your shit. It’s putting his ass in something and getting him out of the United States. We’re not going to have it my county and it shouldn’t be in this country.”
In addition to arrests, officers seized drugs, cash and vehicles from the alleged offenders. Investigators say as they follow up with the various cases, more arrests are expected.
The online sting was a joint operation between MCSO, the Ocala and Chiefland Police Departments, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.
Appeal to parents
The sheriff says in operations like this there are many people who sacrifice selflessly to make sure that the community remains safe.
“Every deputy, every officer, my civilians and intelligence unit, the prosecutors that come in, they give up their valuable time,” said Woods. “They give up the days with their own children to come in to do this work because they know when they do this, they send a clear message – not in Marion County.”
Woods urges parents to be vigilant and asks them to direct their energies toward monitoring their children’s activities.
“I actually need you to be a parent. I said this before, I don’t need you to be a best friend,” said Woods. “If you’re not being a parent, if you’re not being nosey, if you’re not getting into their business, if you don’t know everyone that they know, that they’re talking to online, who they’re playing games with online, then you’re part of the problem. I need you to step up and be a parent because these individuals are lurking every day, every hour, every minute and every second to lure your children.”