Teacher, Disney Worker, Lego Builder Arrested In Child Porn Sting

POLK COUNTY, FL – Sheriff’ Grady Judd said Tuesday’s announcement of 11 arrests on 660 charges of possessing child pornography is just the tip of the iceberg.

In the Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s latest child porn sting, called Operation Guardians of Innocence II, undercover detectives arrested a former school teacher, a 16-year-old high school student, a Disney employee, a parent helper for a Boy Scout troop and a man who creates giant Lego structures for Legoland in Lakeland.

“All of these men were arrested for either possessing or trading images of children being raped, babies in diapers being raped,” said Judd at a news conference June 5. “When you think about the horrible acts they’re doing to innocent children, even babies, it makes your blood boil.”

Judd held up mug shot after mug shot of Polk County residents who were arrested for possessing child porn. Most of the arrests were made after the sheriff's office received tips and traced the IP addresses to computers where child porn was being downloaded.

Among those arrested was Davenport resident Edward Zaborowski III, 48, who works as a bartender at Cheers in Kissimmee and is a parent helper for his son’s Boy Scout troop.

Detectives received a tip that pornography was being downloaded from his address. He’s
been charged with 64 felony counts so far.

Lakeland resident Richard Cousins, 62, was charged with 143 counts of possessing child porn.

“When we arrived, he was actively downloading child porn,” said Judd. “ He had four computers going at same time.”

Cousins is a registered sex offender. In 1992, he was sentenced to serve four years in a Maine prison for sexually abusing two boys between the ages of 7 and 12. But the Maine courts suspended his sentence and he served just one year.

Bruce Nopper, 51, of Auburndale told detectives he’s been viewing child porn since the late 1980s. However, detectives could only charge him with 12 counts of possessing child porn.

That’s because his girlfriend discovered pornographic images on his computer and was so disgusted she destroyed the computer with bleach and a sledge hammer, Judd said.

Matthew Sentz, 35, of Lakeland is already a registered sex offender. He served three years in the Illinois state prison system for possessing child porn.

“Now he can try the Florida prisons,” said Judd. “We’ve charged him with another hundred counts.”

Rickie Vargas-Garcia, 30, of Davenport told detectives that he chats with children online and solicits nude photos and videos from them when he isn’t working as a Lego builder for Merlin Entertainment, which provides Lego structures for Legoland. He’s been charged with 10 counts.

Roger Catey, 53, of Davenport told detectives he made a six-figure salary at Walt Disney World as a project manager in the costumes department.

As of Monday, he no longer works there. Disney fired him after he was charged with 24 counts of possessing child pornography.

Catey most likely crossed paths with Donald Marich, 69, of Lake Alfred. Marich said he retired to Polk County because he loves Disney World. He has an annual pass and visits the park two or three times a week.

Before moving to Florida, he taught school for 30 years in Maricopa County, Arizona.

The Polk Sheriff’s Office charged him with 16 counts of possessing child porn.

Davenport resident Don Carrier, 84, told detectives he is a retired mechanical engineer who once had top secret clearance with the military.

Judd said he was downloading child porn on his computer when detectives arrived at his home. He’s been charged with 200 counts.

Also charged were Jarrod Whiting, 24, of Lakeland (14 counts), Hillsborough Community College student Alejandro Baltazar II, 20, of Mulberry (55 counts) and a 16-year-old Haines City High School student (12 counts).

Judd said the sheriff’s office will continue to go after residents who download and view child porn. But he’s also determined to find those who create and disseminate child porn.

“We want the people locked up in prison who created this porn, who victimized these babies,” he said.

He said his investigators also hope to locate the children being victimized.

Image via Polk Sheriff