Beginning September 19, 2023, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland Police Department, Haines City Police Department, Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and Orange County Sheriff’s Office detectives conducted a seven-day-long undercover operation, during which detectives posed as children or guardians of children on social media platforms, mobile apps, and online dating sites to investigate those who prey upon and travel to meet children for unlawful sexual activity.
The suspects communicated with and solicited who they thought were children or guardians online. Six suspects showed up to an undercover location in Polk County at separate times to sexually batter children.Three of the six suspects wanted to pay an adult hundreds of dollars to have sex with who they thought was a child – those three were charged with human trafficking, a life felony.
Three of the suspects brought condoms to the undercover location, three told detectives they are married, and three have children. They were all from the central Florida area. In all, detectives filed 22 felony charges against the suspects.
SUSPECTS ARRESTED:
1. 40-year-old Jairo Muniz of Kissimmee, FL. Muniz engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and via cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. He asked several questions about her sexual experience and described the sex acts he wanted to do to her; he stopped and bought condoms on the way. He sent a nude photo of himself to the girl. He told detectives that he is married and has four daughters between the ages of 9 and 16 years old. He said he is a laborer at a scaffolding company, and that he told his boss he was going to be late to work the day he traveled to meet the child for sex.
Muniz was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count traveling to meet a minor for sex (F2)
· One count attempted lewd battery (F3)
· One count transmission of material harmful to minor (F3)
· One count use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
He was released from jail on September 24, 2023, after posting bond.
2. 36-year-old Timothy Wellman of Ohio (recently moved to Polk). Wellman engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and via cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. He told her she was cute and described the sex acts he wanted to do to her. He told detectives that he is divorced and his two kids, ages 5 and 6, live with his ex-wife in Kentucky. He said he was talking to his children on the phone and telling them goodnight when he was driving to the undercover location. He said that he is an Army veteran using his G.I. Bill for college.
Wellman was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count traveling to meet a minor for sex (F2)
· One count attempted lewd battery (F3)
· One count use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
3. 49-year-old Feras Klisli of Davenport, FL. Klisli engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and via cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. He asked her if she was a virgin and described the sex acts he wanted to do to her. He told detectives that he is married with two adult children and that he is an Uber driver.
Klisli was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count traveling to meet a minor for sex (F2)
· One count attempted lewd battery (F3)
· One count use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
He was released from jail on September 24, 2023, after posting bond.
4. 46-year-old Douglas Da Silva of Windermere, FL. Da Silva engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and via cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as an adult who had access to a 15-year-old female child. He asked her if the girl was a virgin and told her he wanted to have sex with her twice within an hour. He agreed to pay her $250 to have unprotected sex with the child. He told detectives that he is an Uber Eats driver, is married, and that he and his wife own a house cleaning business. He said he has been in the U.S. for four years and is awaiting confirmation of his green card.
Da Silva was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count human trafficking (F1)
· One count traveling to meet a minor for sex (F2)
· One count use of computer to solicit guardian of child for sex (F3)
· One count use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
5. 33-year-old Trevor Walker of Orlando, FL. Walker engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and via cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as an adult who had access to a 15-year-old female child. He said he wanted to “go hard” and agreed to pay her $400 to have unprotected sex with the child for three hours. He mentioned this being a “sting” with “Grady Judd” during their conversations. He told detectives that he works at Publix distribution in Orlando.
Walker was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count human trafficking (F1)
· One count traveling to meet a minor for sex (F2)
· One count use of computer to solicit guardian of child for sex (F3)
· One count use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
6. 26-year-old Douglas Cooley of Apopka, FL. Cooley engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site and via cell phone with an undercover detective who was posing as an adult who had access to a 15-year-old female child. He agreed to pay her $100 to have protected sex with the child for half an hour, and an additional $50 for unprotected sex. He works at an after-school daycare in Apopka.
Cooley was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
· One count human trafficking (F1)
· One count traveling to meet a minor for sex (F2)
· One count use of computer to solicit guardian of child for sex (F3)
· One count use of two-way communication device to commit a felony (F3)
