A child predator has been charged with molesting an 8-year-old girl and recording the abuse, according to a statement from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier that was shared Wednesday by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “Today, we charged a child predator who molested an 8-year-old girl and recorded it,” the statement said, adding that prosecutors “will prosecute to the max.”
The statement was posted to X by the Polk County Sheriff's Office
, which retweeted Uthmeier's post on Sept. 16. The office, run by Sheriff Grady Judd under the handle polkcosheriff, is based in Polk County, Florida. Beyond the statement itself, no further details about the case have been released — the identity of the person charged, the location of the alleged incident, the specific charges filed, or the case's current status in court have not been made public.
Uthmeier's statement said the person charged should “never walk the streets again” and framed the case as part of a broader mission to hold people who harm children accountable. The Attorney General has also said that law enforcement partners have arrested more than 2,000 child predators since he took office, a figure highlighted in materials from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement: “we've teamed up with federal, state, and local law enforcement to arrest over 2,000 child predators,” the statement reads.
A Statewide Enforcement Push
That 2,000-arrest figure has become a talking point for Florida officials touting a statewide crackdown on people who exploit children. The News-Press reported on the announcement last month under the headline “Florida Officials Announce 2,000 Child Predator Arrests,” per the outlet's coverage. The basis and time period behind that specific tally were not detailed in the FDLE's public materials.
The FDLE separately reported arrests in three unrelated child-exploitation cases as part of the same statewide initiative. Graham Freeman, 56, of Cape Coral, was charged with 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material and one count of bestiality, the agency said. Jordan Hall, 34, of Sarasota, faces 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material and one count of sexual activities involving animals, according to the FDLE.
A third man, Matthew Peter, 41, of Zephyrhills, was charged with one count each of solicitation of a minor for unlawful sexual conduct using a computer or device, transmission of harmful material to a minor, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, the FDLE said. The agency noted that the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution is prosecuting each of those three cases and that the investigation remains active.
What Florida Law Allows
Under Florida law, an adult who commits sexual battery against a person younger than 12 commits a capital felony, according to the Florida Legislature's statute, which states that such an offense is “potentially punishable by death or life imprisonment.” The statute applies to conduct that meets its specific legal elements, and it has not been established which charges were actually filed in the case described in the sheriff's post.
It remains unclear whether the death penalty or life imprisonment would apply in this particular case. No case number, arrest date, or investigating agency has been disclosed for the incident referenced in Wednesday's statement, and it has not been confirmed whether the Polk County Sheriff's Office is directly investigating the matter or simply amplifying the Attorney General's announcement.
