Firebrand Florida sheriff blasts Biden-Harris open border after human trafficking op nets 25 illegal aliens, Disney employee



Outspoken Florida sheriff Grady Judd blasted the open border of the Biden-Harris administration after a human trafficking crackdown led to the arrests of 25 illegal aliens as well as a Disney employee.

The operation netted 157 arrestees, and Judd — who heads up the Polk County Sheriff's Office — emphasized how the border crisis has substantially exacerbated human trafficking crimes in the United States.

The sheriff's office held a press conference Thursday announcing the results of a multi-agency operation titled "Operation Autumn Sweep."

'When are we going to get tired of this? When have we had enough? When are we going to say, "The hardworking people of the United States are who we need to be taking care of."'

The five-day undercover investigation went after suspects who solicited prostitutes, offered to commit prostitution, and other suspects who committed crimes related to prostitution and other sex crimes.

"Three additional suspects were arrested for soliciting who they thought were children online, and charged with traveling to meet a minor, attempted lewd and lascivious battery on a minor, and use of a computer to seduce a child," the sheriff's office said in a press release,

One of those suspects accused of child sex crimes works at Disney World.

WTVT-TV reported that the Disney World employee was out on bond for the same charges in another state — soliciting a child online.

As a result of the operation, four human trafficking victims were rescued.

According to the sheriff's office, 47 arrestees were prostitutes, 96 were johns, and one was a human trafficker. The oldest suspect was 61, and the youngest was 15. In addition, 26 arrestees were married.

Judd said of those arrested that there were 327 prior felony charges and 400 prior misdemeanor charges.

Judd noted that 25 individuals arrested in the operation were illegal immigrants.

During the press conference, Judd emphasized the border crisis led to these criminal activities in Florida.

Two of the human trafficking victims told sheriff's investigators that they had to pay off coyote debts of $6,000.

Judd pointed out that the human trafficking victims who were in the country illegally had to turn 20 "tricks" a day to pay off the coyote who brought them into the U.S. illegally. The sheriff said the victims were physically abused by their human trafficker to compel them to work as prostitutes.

Judd added that one of the female suspects from Venezuela entered the U.S. in El Paso, Texas, and said she was "greeted by the Border Patrol."

"She simply walked across the open border," the sheriff continued before stressing that "there is no border security at the southern border. Zero. It doesn't exist."

The suspect allegedly said Border Patrol processed her in one day and then told her "all about the benefits" for which she would be eligible, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, free housing, free travel to Chicago, and free travel to Florida.

Judd also ripped the Biden-Harris administration over the border crisis: "Make no mistake about it, the government is complicit, and is aiding and abetting human trafficking in the United States."

Judd pointed out that illegal immigrants are receiving federal assistance while Americans suffering from recent hurricanes in Florida and North Carolina are struggling.

"When are we going to get tired of this? When have we had enough? When are we going to say, 'The hardworking people of the United States are who we need to be taking care of?'" Judd asked.

This isn't the first time a Disney employee has been arrested for sex crimes.

As Blaze News previously reported in 2022, a construction subcontractor building a new roller coaster at Walt Disney World in Orlando was arrested in another Polk County Sheriff's Office sex sting.

Another Polk County Sheriff's Office undercover operation resulted in the arrest of a Disney World employee in 2022.

You can watch the full Operation Autumn Sweep press conference below:

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2 illegal aliens arrested in largest fentanyl bust in Florida county's history: 'Didn't come here to better themselves'



Polk County Sheriff's Office in Florida recently announced the "single-largest" fentanyl bust in the county's history, the department revealed in a Friday press conference, WTVT reported.

The sheriff's office launched the investigation into the illicit operation in August after it learned about an organized drug trafficking operation based out of Mexico. The department arrested four individuals in connection with the scheme and seized 14 kilograms of fentanyl, two vehicles, and $5,261 in cash. Two of the suspected criminals, Pedro Rodriguez Correa and Maria Machuca-Alderete, were in the country illegally, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. The other two individuals, Maria Guadalupe-Garcia and Sergio Garcia, were from California.

"It seems like every time I come up here to talk about fentanyl with my colleagues I'm always saying, 'It's the largest fentanyl seizure in the state of Florida' and, once again, that's what I'm saying today with a seizure of 14 kilos of fentanyl," Judd stated Friday morning. "This is the single-largest seizure in the history of Polk County and that's nothing to be proud of."

One of the detained suspects, Guadalupe-Garcia, told deputies that she did not know anything about the narcotics and claimed to be delivering a box of diapers.

"When was the last time you picked up a box of Huggies that weighed 27 pounds? Maria, we don't have any Huggies in the county jail, but we will have you there," Judd said, according to WTVT.

"They didn't come here to better themselves and their family," he continued, referring to the two illegal migrants. "They came here to kill people in America with a deadly drug through a porous border that we need to seal off."

According to Judd, the amount of drugs seized in the bust is enough to kill one-third of Florida's population. He stated that the traffickers expected to be paid $42,500 for the delivery from Mexico to Florida. In total, the 14 kilogram shipment was worth $3.5 million, the office reported.

According to the sheriff's office, Rodriguez-Correa, the driver for the criminal organization, brought a six-year-old boy along for the fentanyl delivery. The Florida Department of Children and Families seized custody of the child.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on Machuca-Alderete and Rodriguez-Correa for being in the country illegally.

Machuca-Alderete was charged with trafficking fentanyl, maintaining a vehicle to traffic illegal drugs, resisting arrest with violence, battery on an officer, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and possession of drug paraphernalia, WTVT reported.

Rodriguez-Correa was charged with trafficking fentanyl, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the outlet.

Guadalupe-Garcia and Sergio Garcia were both charged with trafficking fentanyl, maintaining a vehicle to traffic illegal drugs, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A fifth suspect, whose identity has not been released to the public, is still at large and wanted for similar charges.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said during the Friday news conference, "I would submit to you that an appropriate response would not just be, 'We are going to address the cartels with hugs, not violence.' But how about how I have demanded and suggested in that we declare the cartels terrorist organizations and we designate fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction."

"Over the past year, the PCSO seized 30 additional kilograms of fentanyl - about enough to kill all the people in the state of Florida," according to the sheriff's office.


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'I killed someone': College student allegedly drives home and stabs mother 70 times, then immediately calls 911

'I killed someone': College student allegedly drives home and stabs mother 70 times, then immediately calls 911



A University of Florida premed student allegedly drove home from school and stabbed his mother to death as soon as she answered the door, authorities in Florida have stated.

Emmanuel Espinoza, a 21-year-old college student, drove from the university to his mother's home in Frostproof, Florida, before committing the alleged attack.

Video released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office showed Espinoza approach his mother's front door and try to open it before knocking. The footage, captured by a Ring doorbell, showed Espinoza allegedly holding the murder weapon behind his back as he waited for his mother to answer the door.

"The second she opened the door, he charged in and started stabbing her," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "He made the statement that he knew where to stab her for maximum effect because of his biology classes," he added.

The mother, Elvia Espinoza, was reportedly stabbed 70 times by the accused.

The suspect was asked if he loved his mother, to which authorities claimed he said, "Yeah, I love her."

"Do y'all get along?" police also alleged they asked.

"Yeah, eight out of 10 we get along, but I wanted to kill her for years, and I made up my mind as I drove from Gainesville [in Florida] that today was the day," Sheriff Judd claimed the college student said.

Sheriff Judd said that during the attack, Espinoza noticed his mother's hands were still moving so he "stabbed her some more."

Espinoza also allegedly told detectives that he had cut his hand on the knife during the stabbing and noticed when he went to the sink to wash off his hands and the knife. It was at that point that he allegedly went to ask his mother for Neosporin for his cut but then "noticed she was dead."

Espinoza is heard on a 911 call released by the sheriff's office, which was said to have happened right after he allegedly committed the murder.

"Tell me exactly what happened," the emergency operator prompted him.

"I killed someone," Espinoza reportedly replied.

"Okay, I've got help on the way," the operator then said. "Stay on the line with me, okay? I've got help on the way."

The operator then advised the suspect to "take everything out of [his] pockets" and to keep his hands "out of [his] pockets."

"How did this happen?" the female on the phone asked.

"I went to the door and stabbed my mom," he allegedly answered.

Espinoza was also allegedly listening to the song "No Church in the Wild" by Jay-Z and Kanye West during the incident, authorities stated.

Elvia Espinoza, a 46-year-old mother of three, was a teacher at nearby Ben Hill Griffin Elementary school, where she taught second grade.

Emmanuel Espinoza was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond.

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'We've changed the looks of his groin forever': Florida deputies open fire, transitioning an armed arson suspect into a detainee



Over the weekend, deputies from the Polk County sheriff's office disarmed an alleged firebomber in central Florida, leaving him with a wound he won't soon forget.

Emasculation near Dinosaur World

Responding to a 911 call on Nov. 20, the sheriff's office dispatched deputies to a north Lakeland neighborhood to deal with a suspected arsonist who was throwing incendiary devices at a residence.

Sheriff Grady Judd indicated that 30-year-old Luke Neely, whom he characterized as a "bad man," had been throwing "Molotov cocktails onto a roof and at a house," with a mother, father, and their adult daughter still inside.

Deputies arrived one minute and 18 seconds after receiving the call. According to the sheriff's office, the first deputy on the scene witnessed the suspect throwing one of seven Molotov cocktails, two of which had exploded on the house. Other incendiary devices had reportedly caught fire in the yard.

When the deputy ordered the suspect to stop, Neely reportedly got into an older-model Chevrolet pickup truck and fled the scene.

The deputy attempted to pull the suspect over, but failing that, continued to give chase south down U.S. 98.

On account of the arson charges, the deputy determined that a precision immobilization technique (PIT maneuver) was warranted and made two attempts, the second of which broke his wrist.

Neely managed to continue fleeing westbound on I-4.

West of the county line, in the Hillsborough County area, the truck, which had sustained significant damage from the PIT maneuver, began to slow down. The deputies seized upon this deceleration as an opportunity to bring the chase to an end.

Sheriff's deputies blocked and rammed the truck, causing a vehicle crash. The arson suspect did not, however, immediately surrender.

The Lakeland resident got out of the truck allegedly brandishing an "AR-style" rifle with a fully loaded .380 handgun on his hip and 57 rounds of ammunition to spare.

According to Judd, Neely began to run toward a tyrannosaurus rex statue on the perimeter of the theme park Dinosaur World.

Three deputies began shooting, firing a total of 10 shots. The suspect was struck twice in the right leg, once in the left leg, and once in the groin.

Judd said, "We've changed the looks of his groin forever, if you know what I mean."

The wounds are reportedly non-life-threatening, though it is unclear whether the suspect's ego will survive.

"We're blessed that everything turned out the way that it did. It certainly could have been a lot worse," said Judd.

Ongoing investigation

The Polk County sheriff's office noted in a statement that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the deputy-involved use of force because the incident occurred in Hillsborough County.

Neely's alleged firebombing spree concerns more than the Polk and Hillsborough Counties.

During his weekend press conference, Judd said that the suspect had "started early" the day of the incident, setting multiple fires in Ybor City and the Tampa area.

After trying to fell a tree with flame, Neely allegedly tried to set fire to the rear of the Ritz Ybor, which had nearly 1,000 people inside at the time. Judd indicated that Neely successfully set the building's air conditioning unit on fire.

The suspect allegedly went on to set additional fires, including a trash fire at Gaspar's Grotto around 4 a.m., just hours before his run-in with Polk County deputies. One of the incidents can be seen in this video obtained by WFLA:

Alleged arsonist caught on surveillance video in Ybor youtu.be

Neely has been charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of arson, seven counts of firebombing, and one count of resisting arrest. Judd said that Neely will also face other charges, such as fleeing to elude.

Neely was previously arrested by the Polk County sheriff's office in 2016 and charged with disorderly conduct, using a firearm while intoxicated, and resisting arrest. He was psychiatrically admitted under the Baker Act in 2020.

News Conference - Luke Neely (November 20, 2022) youtu.be

Sheriff Judd has earned a reputation for taking a no-nonsense approach to crime.

During an October appearance on "Fox & Friends," Judd told Florida homeowners, "I would highly suggest that if a looter breaks into your home, comes into your home while you’re there to steal stuff that you take your gun and you shoot him. You shoot him so he looks like grated cheese."

\u201cPolk County Sheriff:\n\n"I would highly suggest that if a looter breaks into your home ... to steal stuff, that you take your gun and you shoot him \u2026 so that he looks like grated cheese."\u201d
— The Post Millennial (@The Post Millennial) 1665170608

In June, Polk County deputies shot and killed an "active shooter" who had threatened to kill his wife and members of law enforcement.

According to Judd, when 56-year-old Michael Loman came outside with a rifle to make good on his threat, "He chose for us to shoot him and we accommodated his request."

Judd added, "We shot him a lot ... and that was the end of the gunfight."

In December 2021, Judd extolled the quick thinking and just action taken by a homeowner who shot a home invader.

Judd said that the homeowner "had a gun, he knew how to use it, it was loaded, and he shot him a lot. He gave him an early Christmas present. Only Santa Claus gets to come in your house — and Santa Claus is invited."

More than 100 arrested during multi-day undercover operation in Florida related to prostitution, child predators



More than 100 people were recently arrested during "Operation March Sadness 2," a six-day undercover operation that led to the arrest of child predators and people seeking to engage prostitution, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Florida.

According to a press release, a 27-year-old man named Xavier Jackson was arrested after communicating with an undercover detective who had been pretending to be a 14-year-old girl — he "sent [the detective] sexual images and graphic descriptions of what he wanted to do," according to the sheriff's office.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd noted during a news conference that the Jackson worked as a lifeguard at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.

Operation March Sadness II news conference youtu.be

Shannon Johnson, a 41-year-old man who thought he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl, sent a naked picture of himself and went to a home with the plan to engage in sexual activity, according to the press release, which noted that Johnson was arrested.

Also among the 108 people arrested was Daniel Peters, a retired Cook County Illinois judge who was charged with soliciting a prostitute. "He requested an attorney," Judd said during the news conference. "Well judge, you need an attorney, you got problems."

"The arrests of a human trafficker and four child predators alone makes this whole operation worthwhile," Judd said, according to a statement included in the press release. "The on-line prostitution industry enables traffickers and victimizes those who are being trafficked. Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and find and arrest those who are profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Johns fuel the trafficking and victimization. Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction, and broken families."