Pensacola Police are searching for three males who robbed a …
The decision made in May by the Boy Scouts of America to allow …
Advertisement
23 arrests in Fla. sex offender roundup
5 arrested in Escambia County
Updated: Friday, 13 Jul 2012, 7:33 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 13 Jul 2012, 2:38 PM CDT
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WALA) - Even if you've lived somewhere for years, it could be difficult to always truly know your neighbors. That's exactly why the Florida Department of Law Enforcement put together operation Safe Summer.
"We worked with local law enforcement to find sex offenders who have failed to register. So these are sex offenders that no one knows where they are," said Gretl Plessinger with the FDLE.
Since the operation began in April they have arrested 23 of these offenders in the Sunshine State.
Five of those arrests have come from Escambia County.
- Timothy Perlberg,63,
- Willie Maxwell, 51
- Charvis Satterwhite, 41
- James Cross, 32
- and Christopher Dasinger, 29
"We identified sex offenders that we felt were the most dangerous and in most cases we were dealing with sex offenders who victimized children," Plessinger said.
Records show four of the suspects remain in jail.
However, according to the jail log Dasinger has been released.
FOX 10 tried to catch up with Dasinger's at his last known address on Bush street but no one was there.
Neighbors declined to comment on camera but they said Dasinger mainly kept to himself. They also said he recently moved out.
Many who live nearby Bush street agree with the idea behind the state operation.
"I'm the type of person that believes if they have the sense to mess with children or hurt them in any way, they need to be put away," an anonymous neighbor said.
"We identified and targeted the most dangerous absconders. In most of the cases, we were dealing with cold leads," said FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey. "Working with our law enforcement partners, new leads were developed allowing us to locate and arrest these sex-offenders-in-hiding."
Operation Safe Summer coincided with the end of the school year, because children are more likely to come in contact with sex offenders/predators during the summer months. In addition to the arrests, investigators believe 20 targeted absconders have fled the country. Their identities have been given to the US Marshals Service so they can be arrested immediately if they try to return.
"The Sheriffs of Florida and their thousands of dedicated staff have declared war on sex offenders and internet predators - if you hide from us, we will find you," said Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson, president of the Florida Sheriffs Association. "We are dedicated to keeping the streets safe and ensuring citizens know when an offender lives among them."
Florida Police Chiefs Association President and Tallahassee Police Chief Dennis Jones said that police departments and other law enforcement agencies across Florida are working hard to keep citizens and especially children safe from sexual predators.
“Sex offenders know that by law they are required to register with local police agencies, because citizens have a right to know if a sex offender is living in their neighborhoods. I applaud the FDLE for initiating this statewide effort to locate and arrest people who are illegally trying to escape notice in our communities. ”
While absconders were arrested throughout Florida, other targeted offenders/predators remain at-large. FDLE and local law enforcement agencies will continue to search for these offenders. If you have information about the target absconders still at-large or any sex offender absconder, contact your local law enforcement agency or FDLE.
Email This
Print This
View Story on a Single Page
Newsgathered: News in Photos June 10-14
This photo of and reference to Nicolas Cage, who is shooting Tokarev in Mobile …
Advertisement
- No Stories Available
Advertisement