MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Fourteen men have been arrested in Manatee County's Operation “One Way Ticket."
Manatee County deputies say they launched the investigation in July 2020 with the Internet Crime Against Children task force. The task force served more than 200 subpoenas and 26 search warrants.
Deputies say over 17,000 suspected images of child porn were found on more than 100 devices, leading to the arrest warrants of 14 men on 541 felony charges between them.
During the investigation, deputies say they discovered 43-year-old Walter Huddleston solicited an undercover federal agent posing as a minor. He was arrested on local charges, with federal charges pending on continued criminal activity, according to the report.
Manatee County deputies say an arrest round-up was scheduled for Jan. 20 for the 13 other men involved. According to law enforcement, a SWAT team was called to make the arrests of Michael Blackmore, 64, and Edwin Aguirre-Pineda, 55, due to their criminal history.
Deputies say they learned Christopher Schwartz, 51, had fled to the Ft. Myers area after the search warrant of his residence. Manatee County deputies teamed up with the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the round-up team to locate Schwartz, according to authorities. After checking several locations with no success, Schwartz was seen driving over a bridge, deputies say. Lee County deputies and the Ft. Myers Police Department conducted a traffic stop and took Schwartz into custody for his 50 felony warrants.
All 14 individuals were arrested on multiple felony charges for crimes related to child porn.
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