POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that 255 were arrested in a nine-day, multi-agency undercover investigation called “Fool Around and Find Out” that focused on human trafficking, child predators and illegal immigration.

Detectives said they worked with investigators from several different sheriff’s offices, police departments, Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the undercover investigation.

The sheriff’s office said 141 suspects were charged with soliciting prostitutes, 93 suspects were charged with offering to commit prostitution, 10 suspects were charged with crimes related to prostitution and 11 suspects were accused of traveling to meet a minor for sex or other
child-sex-related crimes.

“This is the highest number of suspects we’ve ever arrested during a single undercover operation – in addition to these 244 arrests, we also arrested 11 child predators who solicited who they thought were children online in order to sexually batter them. The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked. Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings (Johns) and those profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Prostitution is not a victimless crime – it results in exploitation, disease, drug and alcohol addiction, violence, and broken families,” Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Judd said Adarius Taylor, a former NFL player who played for the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns, was arrested in the operation.

“The dude made a lot of mistakes. He not only brought his 6-year-old child out to the operation, but he left his 6-year-old child in the car when he went to do the operation,” Judd said. “The 6-year-old child has a lot of mental issues, and he left this child alone, who should have never been left alone because of medical conditions.”

Officials with the Department of Children and Families took possession of the child and called the child’s mom. Judd said the child is doing fine.

“This guy here, obviously, he must have hit one too many people as a linebacker because his brain cells are scrambled. He shouldn’t have shown up in the first place, but to leave that child — my goodness. So he picked up a child neglect charge along with everything else,” the Polk sheriff said.

Deputies said nine suspects showed up at an undercover location in Polk County at separate times to sexually batter children.

Investigators said one of the suspects, identified as Gregory Cooper, sent social media messages to an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old boy.

The sheriff’s office said Cooper’s online dating profile said he was a “daddy looking for a younger boy.” They said he sent explicit sexual messages describing what he wanted to do with the boy, and said that he would be patient. He brought orange soda and gummy snacks to the undercover location, investigators said.

Eric Corliss was also arrested in the operation, according to Polk deputies. They said he sent messages to an undercover detective posing as a family member who was selling the sexual services of a 15-year-old girl. Investigators also said Corliss was soliciting undercover detectives who were posing online as prostitutes.

“He asked the detective, ‘Are you with law enforcement’ and then asked for the address of where the girl would be offered to him in exchange for money,” the sheriff’s office said.

“While Corliss told the detective he was en route, he diverted to another undisclosed location to meet with who he thought was a prostitute, and was taken into custody during that part of the investigation,” Polk deputies said.

According to the sheriff’s office, Corliss told detectives that he is a regional executive at the Red Cross and is married.

“It is extremely disturbing when we encounter nasty child predators like these who are very eager to have sex with children,” Judd said. “This is why we conduct these types of undercover operations. Keeping children safe is our number one priority, and we appreciate our partnering agencies, without whom we would not be as successful in apprehending these dangerous offenders.”

During the investigation, four possible human trafficking victims were identified, the sheriff’s office said.

One suspect was active-duty military and 13 were veterans. The sheriff’s office said several suspects were in the medical profession, including doctors and nurses.

A few of the suspects were arrested previously in similar sting operations.

Of the 255 arrested, 36 were in the country illegally, according to Polk deputies.

Deputies said several suspects left their wives or girlfriends at home, or the women thought their partners were at work, visiting a friend, or going to the gym.