Polk County police have arrested eight men, including a Disney employee, under the department's "Operation May's Monsters," which is "focused on identifying those who possessed and distributed child pornography."
Aside from the Disney employee, arrested individuals include a self-employed boudoir photographer and employees of major retail chains. The arrested men face a combined 1,280 felony charges.
Investigators said the seized child porn (CP) materials included "thousands of photos and videos" of children of all ages, including those who were sexually battered, forced to engage in sex acts or strike sexually explicit poses.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the CP materials were "some of the most horrific" detectives have ever seen.
"Each time one of these monsters uploads and shares child pornography, they are feeding a child exploitation pipeline, and they are victimizing children over and over again," the sheriff said.
Judd also urged parents to actively engage in their children's business concerning their gaming stations, cell phones, and other electronic devices.
Further information about the arrests would be released by Polk County Police at a press conference at 13:00 ET (17:00 UTC).
This is a developing story.
