By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 6/10/09
A Cape Coral man and a Fort Myers man were among those arrested in a statewide child pornography sting, which Florida officials announced Tuesday had led to 77 arrests and the rescue of five children who were sexually victimized.
Nicholas Bitte, 20, of Cape Coral, was charged with two counts of possession of sexual photographs of children.
Gorge Gibson, 76, of Fort Myers, was charged with 17 counts of sexual photographs of children.
Bitte was arrested and released on $100,000 bond in late May, according to Lee County Jail records.
Gibson remains in custody on a combined $850,000 bond after Lee County Sheriff's deputies served a warrant for his arrest May 29.
While the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Office of the Attorney General spearheaded the 10-week operation, named "Operation Orange Tree," 21 other law enforcement agencies throughout the state participated, including the Lee County Sheriff's Office and United States Marshal's Service, said the office of Florida Governor Charlie Crist in a prepared statement.
Those arrested as a result of the operation are ages 17-83 and received charges ranging from possession of child pornography to sexual battery. Several are registered sex offenders.
"As a state, we must remain diligent in continuing the battle to stop sex offenders before they can prey on our children," Crist said in Tuesday's statement.
Thousands of photographs and videos were recovered as a result of search warrants, said Crist's office. Among them is an instructional video regarding molestation of children, which 17 of the individuals arrested reportedly had on their computers.
John Walsh, of the television show "America's Most Wanted," joined Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey to announce the operation's results.
"Today I am proud to be an American," Walsh said. "The cooperation that led to the arrest of these predators and Florida's use of state-of-the-art technology has pushed our state ahead in the battle to capture these individuals."
Florida ranks fourth nationally for volume of child pornography, according to statistics from the Federal Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
In an effort to battle child sex crimes, Crist signed the CyberCrimes Against Children Act into law in 2007, increasing related penalties.
A CyberCrime Unit established in 2005 now operates with 30 members in five offices across Florida. The unit targets computer-assisted crimes against children.
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