TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said three people were rescued and more than a dozen were arrested following a recent investigation into child pornography crimes. Two men from Winter Haven were also arrested for sexually abusing three children among other charges.
According to the sheriff’s office, the suspects are all male and range in age from 15 to 68 years old. The teens and men are facing 2,770 felony charges altogether.
Five young victims were found who were depicted in the pornography, according to Sheriff Grady Judd.
“We search for child victims in every one of these cases and it’s very rare to find one,” he said.
Among those arrested was 32-year-old Harrison Egbert of Winter Haven. After getting a tip about activity at Egbert’s home, detectives executed a search warrant on the residence and found 1,000 videos and images of children as young as 2 being sexually battered. Egbert confessed to viewing child porn online and sexually abusing three girls. Authorities said he videoed the abuse with his friend, David Lavin’s help.
“We found videos of their sexual conduct. Now keep in mind, when they created this child porn and they sent it out, these children will be victimized for the rest of their lives,” said Sheriff Judd.
Egbert was arrested for enhanced possession of child pornography, capital sexual battery, and promotion of child pornography among other charges. Lavin, 30, was charged with capital sexual battery and promoting sexual performance by a child among other crimes. Two others, Ivonnette Leon and Shannon Speller, were arrested for interfering with the investigation. Leon is charged with tampering with a victim, accessory after the fact, and contributing to the dependency of a minor. Speller is charged with accessory after the fact.
Speller owned “Kids Clubhouse Learning Center” in Winter Haven.
According to Judd, one of the child victims was found there.
“We told Shannon Speller there is a criminal investigation underway. Do not say anything to anybody. But she did,” said Sheriff Judd.
Sheriff Judd said she got the word back to Lavin, who tried to hide.
Authorities shut down the daycare for operating without a license.
News Channel 8 has reached out to Speller’s attorney.
Detectives also arrested a corrections officer who worked at the Polk Correctional Institute. Authorities said they found images of children being sexually battered on Patrick Johanson’s phone. Johanson, 33, from Winter Haven, was arrested and charged with 26 counts of enhanced possession of child pornography and one count of promotion of child pornography.
Detectives found images of children as young as 8 years old being sexually battered on a phone belonging to a 20-year-old who worked a summer job at Sea World but was no longer employed by the business. Jonathan Derisse of Davenport was arrested and charged with six counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of promotion of child pornography. He was previously arrested for three felonies, including written threats and a bomb threat.
Others arrested in the sting include:
- David Boyd, 52, from Lakeland
- Jonathan Derisse, 20, from Davenport
- Jesse Durant, 29, from Davenport
- Tyerek Lampkin, 22, from Lakeland
- Ludjy Masson-Santana, 21, from Kissimmee
- Nicholas Nason, 27, from Lakeland
- Jonathan Ramos, 31, from Davenport
- Kevin Schmidt, 54, from Lakeland
- Richard Sizelove, 68, from Lake Wales
Two 15-year-olds, a 16-year-old, and a 17-year-old were arrested also arrested in the operation. News Channel 8 is not naming the teens because they are minors.
After getting a tip, detectives served a search warrant on a home on Ramblewood Place in Mulberry and arrested Brandi Nicole Dye, 39, Kimberly Messier, 54, and Jerry Wayne Skidmore, 39 on drug charges.
Child victim advocate Dr. Marianne Thomas, with One More Child, said 70% of child sex trafficking starts online.
“Know what your children are doing online. To make sure that you have access to all of their social media even if that means they don’t like you when you ask,” she said.
