POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Eleven people, to include a Walt Disney World and Legoland employee, have been arrested in Florida on multiple child pornography charges.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says they arrested 11 suspects during "Operation Guardians of Innocence II," which was focused on identifying and arresting those involved in the possession, promotion, and distribution of child pornography.
The operation took place throughout the month of May. Search warrants were executed in various Florida cities to include Lakeland, Kissimmee, and Davenport.
Sheriff Grady Judd says a total of 660 felony charges were filed against the suspects, with more charges pending.
"We will do a complete forensic analysis, and in all likelihood we will be adding on more charges related to the felony possession and distribution of images and videos of children being sexually battered," said Sheriff Judd. "Most of the images we saw during this investigation depicted children being sexually battered, that we have seen before - which means we haven't yet identified any local child victims, but as always, that is also a part of our investigation."
The suspects range in age from 16 to 84. Deputies say some of the pornography depicted children as young as infants.
Several of the men either worked at jobs where a large amount of children were around or participated in activities involving close contact with children.
One of the suspects, 30-year-old Rickie Vargas-Garcia, told investigators he's a Lego builder for Merlin Entertainment, which owns Legoland. Roger Catey, 53, said that he is employed at Walt Disney World as a project manager in the costumes department.
Another man, 48-year-old Edward Zaborowski III, told detectives he is a parent helper and driver for his son's Boy Scout Troop. Donald Marich, 69, told detectives he is a retired schoolteacher from Arizona and is a Disney annual pass holder who frequently attends the theme park alone.
You can view the full list of those arrested and their charges here.
