The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments began this week, but 108 people arrested in Polk County during a six-day undercover human trafficking operation were experiencing “March Sadness.”
They were taken down during “Operation March Sadness 2,” a cooperation of local Polk policing agencies, the 10th District State Attorney’s Office, the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), and a number of anti-human trafficking organizations.
As part of the Polk Sheriff’s operation, detectives identified prostitutes who posted online advertisements as well as the “johns” who were seeking out the prostitutes via online communications, with the intent to identify and free any victims who were being forced into prostitution (human trafficking), or anyone participating in the trafficking of victims. Undercover detectives communicated online with the suspects and arranged for a meet-up at a location where they were arrested after their arrival.
Two of the arrested are Kissimmee men. Disney employee James Compton, 42, told detectives that he is married with eight children, and had left one of his children at a soccer game taking place nearby in order to meet with a prostitute. He was arrested and charged with solicitation.
Xavier Jackson, 27, reportedly communicated online and via text with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year old girl. During this communication, Jackson sent sexual images and graphic descriptions of what he wanted to do. A warrant was obtained for Jackson on three counts of transmission of material harmful to a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
This is topical, considering January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and the News-Gazette brought readers awareness all month long. During last week’s operation, members of the anti-trafficking organizations were on hand to speak with the prostitutes to help determine if they were human trafficking victims—they were offered services and counseling. A confirmed human trafficker and four child predators, including Jackson, made the whole operation worthwhile, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
“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,” he said. “Johns fuel the trafficking and victimization. Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction, and broken families.”
