Twenty-two men were arrested and charged with soliciting sex from a minor over the Internet during a recent four-day undercover operation in Polk County, Fla., The Associated Press reported today.
The men included a volunteer youth hockey coach, an airport security screener and a volunteer firefighter.
Investigators used Internet chat rooms and instant messaging to direct the men to a suburban home west of Orlando, where they believed they were meeting a teenage girl to have sex, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
"It's disappointing to know that we have arrested child predators who come from public service industries," Sheriff Grad Judd said in a statement. "This reconfirms our dedication to our number one cause, and that's keeping children safe."
