GAINESVILLE, Fla. —
Two Cook County men and a Lowndes County man have been arrested as part of an Internet child sex sting in Florida, according to reports.
Operation Tail Feather is a joint investigation by the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and has resulted in the arrest of 22 suspects between the ages of 19 and 65, according to the Gainesville Sun.Investigators used commercial online sites such as Craigslist to pose as minors who wanted to participate in various sex acts, or they answered ads posted by those looking for young sex partners, the Sun says.
Most of the arrests were made between Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, according to the Sun.
Timothy Scott Hiers, of Adel, was charged with using a computer to seduce, solicit or lure a child, and traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a child, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office’s website. He reportedly answered an ad to meet a 13-year-old girl and traveled to Florida in a semi-truck, the Sun said.
Hiers was released from jail on a $40,000 bond, the Sun said.
Robert Stanley Ziolkowski, also of Adel, was charged with traveling to meet and using a computer to solicit a guardian, and using a computer to solicit a parent or guardian consent, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office’s website.
Ziolkowski is being held in jail on a $2 million bond, the highest of anyone who was arrested, the Sun said. He reportedly responded to a Craiglist ad to take part in a Wiccan ceremony, and traveled to Florida to meet and have sex with an 11-year-old girl, the Sun said.
Charles Edward Mills, 56, of Lake Park, Ga., was charged with one count of use of a computer to seduce, solicit or lure a child, one count of use of a telephone to commit a felony and one count of traveling to meet a child after use of a computer to lure, according to the Sun.
No information was readily available about his bond status.
The charges against the men are state charges now, but authorities are working to have them upgraded to federal charges, the Sun said.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Art Forgey was quoted by the Sun as saying that more arrests are possible and those already arrested may face more charges.
“Right now we are running background checks and following up with those who have been charged,” Forgey said.
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