The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested 30 registered sex offenders in October during Operation Scarecrow. The Sheriff's Office announced the results on Oct. 29. Detectives checked on 1,202 registered sex offenders in unincorporated Hillsborough County. The Sheriff's Office says the effort aims to keep Halloween night safe for children and families.
In the last week before Halloween, deputies worked with two state agencies. Those agencies were the Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The teams made sure offenders lived at their registered addresses and followed all conditions.
The Sheriff's Office says offenders on probation or supervision may not take part in Halloween activities. They cannot pass out candy, put up Halloween decorations or leave porch lights on.
Deputies say one violation was a failure to register a vehicle kept on the property. Other offenders did not get a driver's license with an updated address. Others did not report for registration on time.
On Oct. 26, detectives checked on a 69-year-old registered sexual predator in Plant City. The check took place on the 1000 block of Johnson Pointe Drive. Detectives say he covered the "Sexual Predator" label on his state ID card with a white covering. They say they also found unregistered social media identifiers and an email address. Deputies charged him with violation of probation and failure to register phone numbers and internet identifiers. He also faces a charge of possession of an altered driver's license by a sexual predator.
On Oct. 27, detectives checked on a 60-year-old registered sexual predator on the 1400 block of York Street in Brandon. Detectives say he used a phone app for sexual conversations with AI-generated female children. Detectives say he had no access to any victims. They found no evidence of unreported offenses. Deputies charged him with violation of probation for prohibited programs.
Parents can search for registered offenders through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's database.
