Latest news with #SheriffGradyJudd
Fox News
27-05-2025
- Fox News
Sheriff reveals 26 illegal migrants not on federal 'radar' among 255 arrested in Florida sex-trafficking sting
A multi-level operation, aptly named "Fool Around and Find Out," nabbed 255 suspected human traffickers, child sex predators and illegal migrants in Central Florida. The Polk County, Florida, operation, conducted over nine days in May, resulted in the arrest of the highest number of individuals ever recorded in a single sting by the sheriff's office. Sheriff Grady Judd told Fox News Digital that the operation was a coordinated effort with multiple law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which was embedded for the first time with the Central Florida department. "We made a lot of arrests. Our team preps in advance. We know what places to go on social media to find those evil people or to set up for them to come to us, so they did a remarkable job." One of the most startling revelations from the operation was 36 illegal migrants apprehended. Judd said 26 of them had not checked in with federal authorities, making them untraceable until this operation. "Twenty-six of them were not even on the federal government's radar," he said. "They had snuck in the country and did not check in." The migrants arrested account for approximately 15% of the total, and Judd argued that their absence could have prevented that same amount of crime. "If those illegal immigrants weren't here in this country, then there would have been 15% less crime committed," he said. WATCH: Former NFL player arrested in Florida human trafficking bust The operation also revealed a cross-section of suspects from all walks of American life. Among those arrested were a medical doctor, an executive from the American Red Cross, active and retired military personnel, and even a former NFL player, Adarius Taylor. Prior to retirement in 2020, Taylor played for the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns. Judd recounted that the ex-NFL player left his young, medically vulnerable child alone in a car while he allegedly sought sexual favors from an undercover officer posing as a prostitute. Another suspect allegedly visited the operation while his wife was battling cancer at home. "Are you kidding me?" Judd exclaimed. "Your wife is being treated for cancer. And at a time in her life where she needs you the most, you're turning out a trick with a hooker at an undercover location? That is incredible. There were all kinds of occasions, just like that." Detectives charged a total of 102 felonies and 284 misdemeanors during the investigation. The suspects' prior criminal histories included a combined total of 400 felonies and 519 misdemeanors, with charges such as premeditated murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated battery and sexual assault. "The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked," Judd said in a release following the sting. "Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings (Johns) and those profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Prostitution is not a victimless crime – it results in exploitation, disease, drug and alcohol addiction, violence, and broken families." Judd said Polk County has a zero-tolerance stance on criminal activity. "This is not the last one. This is just the last one. There's going to be another one, and another one and another one." Judd's message is clear: those who come to Florida with criminal intent will not remain in the shadows and will be publicly held accountable. "Florida is the vacation state. People come from all around the world with their children," he said. "We want to make sure that it's a safe environment, and it is." "If you think you're gonna sneak here and, 'Hey, what goes on in Florida stays in Florida', that's wrong," he said. " I'll put you on blast all across the nation, and that's a guarantee."
CBS News
26-05-2025
- CBS News
Man shot and killed by Florida sheriff's deputies in confrontation after apparent alligator attack
A man believed to be on drugs was shot and killed Monday by Florida sheriff's deputies who had tried to shock him with a Taser as he wielded a set of garden shears shortly after he was apparently bitten by an alligator in a lake, a sheriff said. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters the two deputies were trying to de-escalate the situation before the man, identified as 42-year-old Timothy Schulz, climbed into their running patrol vehicle and tried to get the weapons inside. That's when the deputies opened fire, Judd said. "This is just crazy stuff, OK?" Judd said. "You know that it's got to be true, you can't make it up." A picture released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Florida shows what appears to be bullet holes in a patrol vehicle after sheriff's deputies shot a man in the vehicle, May 26, 2025. Polk County Sheriff's Office Schulz had a long history of drug-related arrests, Judd said. He had been released from jail last Tuesday after being arrested for possession of meth, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Monday's incident started when a convenience store worker at about 5:56 a.m. reported a man acting bizarrely, shaking and asking to call his son, Judd said. Deputies went to the store but couldn't find the man. At about 7:43 a.m., people reported a man later identified as Schulz swimming in a lake that contained multiple alligators, Judd said. One witness tried to give him a life preserver, and another tried to speak with him but received a growl in response, according to the sheriff. While Schulz was in the lake, he was apparently bitten by an alligator on his right arm, Judd said. "The fact that he was bitten by an alligator, significantly, and still continued his rampage is shocking," Judd said. "But if you're on enough meth, then the person you see is not the person that's attacking." When Schulz emerged from the water in a gated community in Lakeland, east of Tampa, he picked up a set of garden shears that had been left outside, Judd said. Schulz then tried to break into a vehicle with a brick. After deputies arrived at the scene, Schulz charged at them with the shears, Judd said. The deputies tried to de-escalate the situation, told Schulz to put the shears down and attempted to shock him with a Taser twice, according to the sheriff. "They were still trying to take him peacefully into custody," Judd said. Schulz entered the deputies' still-running patrol vehicle from the passenger side and tried to get either the rifle or the shotgun inside from their holders, Judd said. The deputies then shot Schulz multiple times. The sheriff's office posted photos to social media showing the patrol vehicle with what appeared to be multiple bullet holes through the windshield. The incident is under investigation, Judd said. The deputies have been placed on routine administrative leave during the initial phases of the investigation.
