NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper announced the results of a major special operation targeting adults trying to meet minors.
The investigation was called “Operation Deviant Sunrise” and “Operation Deviant Nightfall.”
A total of 23 men were arrested and accused of traveling to meet a minor for sex or sending nude images to minors. Sheriff Leeper said warrants are also out for additional suspects.
“If you are a parent, the results of this operation should scare you. I couldn’t believe how many grown men wanted to have sex with what they thought was a 13 or 14-year-old child,” Leeper said.
Operation Deviant Nightfall was a four-day investigation that began in January and led to 16 arrests. The follow-up phase was Operation Deviant Sunrise, which resulted in seven more arrests over two months and multiple counties.
The investigation involved deputies posing as minors online and then intercepting people who attempted to arrange sexual encounters with who they believed were children.
PREVIOUS STORY: Middleburg man arrested in Nassau County child sex sting faces new charges in Clay County
Of the 23 arrests, a few stood out.
Carl Eubanks was a military pilot who investigators said traveled from Middleburg to Nassau County to have sex with who he thought was a 14-year-old boy he met online. But the “teen” was an undercover deputy.
He faced criminal charges in Clay County after he was accused of having sex with a minor.
When Dale Grogan was arrested, investigators said he made comments about killing his wife while he was in the military stationed in Germany, so in addition to sex charges, he’s also under investigation by the U.S. military for possible murder.
Will Wright was a church pastor accused of bringing his 3-year-old son with him to meet a minor for sex. Investigators said they have evidence that he may have drugged his son to keep him asleep.
“As a parent and a grandparent, it scares the crap out of me. I try to think about what would happen, what I would do if one of these scumbags got to my granddaughter. It wouldn’t be pretty. I have to obey the law now, but I know what I would want to do,” Leeper said about the mass arrests.
Operation Deviant Sunrise and Operation Deviant Nightfall involved multiple agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
