Florida Sex Sting: Pro Golfer Steve Thomas Among 40 Suspects Arrested (VIDEO)

A pro golfer, a swim coach, and an eighth grade teacher are among 40 suspects arrested by Florida officials conducting an undercover child sex networking sting.

Officials with the Osceola County Sheriff took down the Internet-based string of sex crimes during a Jan. 8-16 investigation dubbed "Operation Red Cheeks," a press release from the Osceola County Sheriff states.

Stephen Wesley Thomas, a professional golfer with 44 appearances on the PGA tour, is the highest profile suspect in the case. Thomas told authorities that he thought he was corresponding with a woman about arranging sex with her 13-year-old daughter, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Police also arrested Bryan Woodward, the 29-year-old head coach of Gainesville's Gator Swim Club, not affiliated with the University of Florida. Woodward has since been relieved of his duties with the organization, ABC Action News reports.

According to the police statement:

During the operation, undercover detectives from the agencies listed, posed as juveniles or the parent or guardian of a juvenile to talk with individuals in chat rooms and instant messaging programs on the Internet. Suspects would travel to an undercover house or secondary meeting location located in Osceola County with the purpose of having sex with a child.

Other suspects include a middle school mathematics teacher at Manatee Academy in Port St. Lucie, a 70-year-old retired beekeeper, an IT professional, a construction worker, and eight college students.

Charges include travel to seduce a child and commit sex acts, transmitting harmful images of a minor, and use of a computer to solicit a child for sex.

Click here for more information from the Osceola Sheriff's Office, including a list of all those arrested.

LOOK: Mugshots of all suspects arrested in the sting:

Comments

[raymond Justice]

03:10 PM on 08/29/2012

These men were bait and switched on ADULT only websites. Some of those arrested never showed up and were arrested at their work even though they showed no intent to meet an underage person. Some thought the person was a scammer and/or an adult playing a fantasy. Its Craigslist, it is full of scammers. The men arrested were in the ADULT section of craigslist where you have to verify you are over 18 to get into the site. The Police are trapping people by breaking the policy of websites in order to catch men following the polices of the website. That is UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

What a better way to drum up funding and political clout than to catch "Predators", and the quickest way to do that is to go to sexually charged adult websites and make a few misleading add And when you catch these people...Lie about it and toot your own horn all over the news making these men look like monsters

Because of immediate public opinion most of these men have their lives destroyed before they have their day in court and by that time they are unable to afford a good lawyer. A lot of these men will plead NO CONTEST because the public defender doesn't want to waste their time on "Pedophiles". And these men are afraid of facing judges and Prosecutors that are facing re-election as well as a jury that will be biased because of the nature of the case.

[goldthwaitems]

03:33 PM on 09/09/2012

. What exactly were the ages of the girls? Girls that are sexually mature (i.e. they are menstruating) are not "children". It sounds like these girls were in their late teens, not pubescent nubiles. Also, they were girls, not boys, so we're not talking about perverted
faggots.

Age consent laws should be reduced from 18 to 16. Older men should not be frowned upon for having consensual sex with any women, girl, or whatever you want to call her, if she is physically ready to have sex.

[Mata Hari 847]

02:48 PM on 08/07/2012

These operations are nothing less than entrapment in many cases these officers are posing as female adults luring these men with promises of sex with the ADULT. Contact Jane Velez Mitchell and tell her to do a segment on the other side of this story. 1877 586 7297, or email [e-mail]​m. Do no just listen to these cops side their is another side to these stories in many cases!!

[Mata Hari 847]

06:33 PM on 06/29/2012

Perverted Injustice

We have all seen the Dateline NBC show and ones like it. Some man is talking to what he thinks is an underage girl and begins to engage a sexually charged conversation. They then agree to meet and when the man shows up he is greeted by talk show host and law enforcement. Now what would we think if the roles were a little different. Instead if we had an adult man talking to an adult woman and a sexually charged conversation is ignited, but then there is a catch. The woman who agrees to an interest in having sex with the man begins to try and put her daughter in the mix. The man rejects and resists the idea. After days of back and forth conversations the woman than acquiesces with the man's desire to only engage in sex with her and says "Well at least meet my daughter". The man now thinking he is going to meet an adult woman for sex shows up, not to a house but to a parking lot where the man and woman are supposed to meet, instead of meeting "the mother" he is greeted by law enforcement.

http://www.facebook.com/mata.hari.73744

[sourkreme]

12:46 PM on 01/22/2012

This was only an 8 day investigation that netted 40 arrest ? Operation Red Cheeks looks like it needs some sequels, several and I wish you would not have alerted the public to the number of arrest. When these stings are for adults I really think that it's a waste of time. When it comes to children with this many arrest in 8 days the program needs to be done over & over. There seems to be a real problem with men & young girls in Florida that needs extensive police intervention & it needs to be done with severe penalties. So severe that it puts an immediate impact in the number of not only arrest but a dent in the type of behavior being sought out by men in Florida. Severe penalties must be used to curb the behavior immediately. I am disgusted in the men who sought out these young women, the men who wanted to but it fell through for some reason & those that thought about it. These men thoroughly disgust me & I hope they pay dearly for their actions. NO PLEA BARGAINS & hit them with the maximum penalties that the law allows. Charge them for every crime that you can think of and make some up if you have to, Those that can't afford a lawyer get them the worst lawyer Florida can provide & to those that can afford a high price lawyer make it so it does not matter.

[megandvc]

08:45 AM on 01/22/2012

What are you trying to say?

[dbrett480]

01:37 PM on 01/21/2012

Hopefully that will be 40 people in prison.

[webwzrd]

05:21 PM on 01/20/2012

Not a very bright looking bunch.

[I AM THAT]

09:07 AM on 01/20/2012

they all look like extras in a zombie movie.

[opinionator63]

07:10 AM on 01/20/2012

What a disgusting looking bunch of losers. UGH!

[Mogha]

10:23 PM on 01/19/2012

It is legal to possess computer generated graphic child pornography as long as no real child was involved. These images can look realistic but if no "real" child was involved it is legal. In this sting operation the child was not real, it was a fantasy created and presented by the police as a lure.
There never was a child and this particular situation is fabricated. Was there a crime?
Unfortunately there are many misguided real true children who engage in conversations with men that are hunting for such opportunities. I do not have a better way to catch such perverts and protect these children and I have no sympathy for people who take advantage of children. I believe that these sting operations should not be reported at this point but shoul be the basis for a probable cause warrant to search their home, office, and any computers for child porn.

[Kathy PriceDopke]

04:47 PM on 01/20/2012

Their intent was there.......Steve Thomas was going to meet a 13 year old child.....or so he thought. I say send him to prison and let the prison population take care of him. They really don't treat child abusers and child sex offenders too well.

[goldthwaitems]

03:37 PM on 09/09/2012

Are you sure she was 13?

[Kevin Harding]

03:33 AM on 01/21/2012

"It is legal to possess computer generated graphic child pornograph­y"

Wrong! It is just as illegal to possess computer generated child porn as it is the real thing.
Under federal law (18 U.S.C. §2256), child pornography is defined as any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, of sexually explicit conduct, where

the production of the visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or

the visual depiction is a digital image, computer image, or computer-generated image that is, or is indistinguishable from, that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or

the visual depiction has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Federal law (18 U.S.C. §1466A) also criminalizes knowingly producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing with intent to distribute, a visual depiction of any kind, including a drawing, cartoon, sculpture or painting, that

depicts a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and is obscene, or

depicts an image that is, or appears to be, of a minor engaging in graphic bestiality, sadistic or masochistic abuse, or sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal, whether between persons of the same or opposite sex and such depiction lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

[megandvc]

08:47 AM on 01/22/2012

Do you find it SICK that some people take the act of molesting a child so lightly? Why would someone even think that way?

[Mogha]

07:01 PM on 01/25/2012

Thank you for correcting me. I had known there was a proposed law being debated at one time and prior to writing my comment checked online concerning computer generated images and the site I found said it was legal. Since your reply, which I hope many read, I have checked several other sites and they agree with what you state regarding the law. I am relieved to hear that it is illegal. Thank you once again.

[ZeroCoke]

07:33 PM on 01/19/2012

they have a good mugshot camera operator at that jail.

[bigtimeinc]

07:11 PM on 01/19/2012

i see some guys came to this setup all ready wearing a orange jumpsuit

[mother10]

06:53 PM on 01/19/2012

MEN ! sheesh...

[I AM THAT]

09:09 AM on 01/20/2012

yo! watch it! Unfair characterization. most of us are a man...not a "men"

[mother10]

08:56 PM on 01/20/2012

my bad, sorry...Man

[Brace4impactz]

01:55 PM on 01/22/2012

C'mon mom, I don't remotely identify with these so called men or the disgusting activities they attempted to engage in. However, I do understand your anger at this motley assortment of dipwads.

[Andrew FingerlickingGree]

04:53 PM on 01/19/2012

*consent not consecutively, Lmao damn autocorrect

[Darrion Beckles]

03:59 PM on 01/19/2012

"Operation Red Cheeks"... Wow, what a fascinating name for this story.

[No Dogma Freedom]

03:44 PM on 01/20/2012

You know - I wonder - what dingle berry came up with that! Should have been operation shield Maiden or other: Operation Pedophile Buster

[matt50]

11:38 PM on 01/22/2012

Probably because their cheeks are going to be red when they get caught, upper and lower.