GAINESVILLE, Fla. – An elementary school teacher, a University of Florida physician assistant and men from Jacksonville, Lake City and Middleburg were among 21 arrested during a roundup of men accused of soliciting minors online.
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office released details Tuesday morning of what they called "Operation Tail Feather," in which undercover detectives from the Sheriff's Office and Gainesville Police Deparment posing as juveniles on Craigslist and other online sites either solicited partners for sex acts or responded to posts of men looking for young sex partners.
The week-long undercover sex sting took place from Jan. 30 to Monday.
THE MUGS: 21 men arrested in Alachua County sex sting
Among those arrested was Lenard Norman, 24, who taught second-grade at Metcalfe Elementary School in Gainesville. The first-year teacher who the school district said passed a pre-employment background check was fired on Monday.
Investigators said Norman went to a home with the intention of having sex with a 14-year-old boy.
"We are certainly relieved to hear from law enforcement that this did not involve any students, and I know that will make parents feel significantly better," Alachua County School District spokeswoman Jackie Johnson said.
Authorities said Cody Johnston traveled from Jacksonville to Gainesville thinking he was going to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.
Deputies said Jerry Brown, also a Jacksonville resident, drove to Gainesville to meet what he though was a 14-year-old girl. Instead, deputies were waiting for him.
Erich Farber III, of Middleburg, and David Lashley, of Lake City, also were arrested in the sting.
Matthew Gendron, 45, a physician assistant at the UF College of Medicine's department of anesthesiology, was also arrested after investigators said he was trying to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex. He was placed on administrative leave and his practice privileges have been suspended.
A UF & Shands spokeswoman said the allegations do not involve patient care and the incident did not occur on campus or at Shands at UF.
Gendron has been with the UF College of Medicine since July 2001.
Authorities said some of those arrested could also face federal charges. They range in age from 19 to 65. Some came from Middleburg and Georgia.
Investigators said some of the men already have criminal histories, and through these arrests, they've been able to launch separate investigations.
"Law enforcement officers who have to sit there hour after hour after hour, talking online, discussing really despicable matters with these offenders before they try to engage in sex with a child, these are really difficult crimes to investigate," Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Williams said.
"To get to a child to not only have sex with them, but to rape them because a child at the age of 13, 11, 7 does not have the ability to make consent to have sex, so the raping of a child is the intent of these offenders," Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell added.
Investigators believe that through these stings, they'll send a clear message to anyone trying to harm children in the area.
"Incrementally, that's going to help our state," Darnell said. "Incrementally, that's going to help our country if we can get these offenders to be on guard and wary about doing this kind of crime."
To find sex offenders in your area, go to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's website.