Schools
Keep Manatee Beautiful removes more than 32 tons of illegally dumped debris in six months
By Katherine Langford
281 arrested in 7-day Polk County undercover operation
Katherine Langford
Katherine Langford
Editor-in-Chief · Edina, MN
Katherine oversees editorial operations across all six brands. Before joining The Meridan Group, she spent 14 years at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where she led the metro desk through its digital transformation. She holds a Master's in Journalism from Northwestern's Medill School.
More from Katherine →Editor-in-Chief · Friday, October 30, 2026 at 4:05 PM · 1 min read
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - Polk County law enforcement officials said a seven-day undercover operation resulted in 281 arrests and 488 new charges, including 198 felonies.The operation, called “Polk Around Find Out II,” included simultaneous investigations focused on people accused of traveling to meet children for unlawful sexual activity and commercial-sex activity, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.“Those who came to Polk County expecting to sexually abuse a child, found cuffs instead,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said during the news conference.Authorities said those arrested had a combined 798 prior criminal charges. Officials also said 24 suspects had firearms and 32 people were charged with drug possession.The sheriff’s office said 17 people arrested during the operation worked at theme parks. Sheriff Grady Judd said Disney told investigators it had fired employees connected to the arrests. Judd said he had not received an update from Universal about the employ
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