Two Polk County residents were among the individuals apprehended as part of “Operation Cooked,” a multi-agency undercover child predator sting led by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
The operation, which targeted adults who attempted to exploit minors online, resulted in numerous arrests throughout the region. The two suspects from Polk County are:
- Eric Daniel Kreft (50, of Davenport): Investigators stated that Kreft allegedly arranged to meet someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl, arriving at the location with items including a soft drink, with deputies recovering condoms and a cellphone from his vehicle.
- Leslie Augustus Anderson (34, of Winter Haven): Authorities reported that Anderson allegedly arranged to meet an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, arriving with alcohol, condoms, and multiple cellphones.
The larger multi-agency raid included synchronized sweeps of online child trafficking networks in Central Florida.
Several agencies assisted with the operation, including the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orlando Police Department, St. Cloud Police Department, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Lake City Police Department, and Homeland Security.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the Statewide Prosecutor’s Office will handle the prosecution of these crimes.
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