Operation Bad Habits:
A large-scale undercover sting operation conducted by the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) in Florida, from approximately June 1–6 or 1–7, 2026. It is described as the largest Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) operation in the county's history.
Law enforcement officers, working with multiple partner agencies (including the Florida Attorney General's Office, FDLE, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals, local police departments, and others), posed online as children aged 7–15 or as parents/guardians willing to traffic children. Suspects initiated or engaged in sexually explicit conversations, solicited meetings for sex, and in some cases offered money (e.g., one offered $150) or arranged to "purchase" children, leading to charges that included human trafficking-related offenses in addition to solicitation, travel to meet a minor, and related felonies.
Suspects traveled to pre-arranged locations in Marion County expecting to meet minors (or offered children) and were arrested upon arrival. The operation resulted in 58 arrests (all men, ages roughly 16–65; some reports initially cited 52 before final tallies). Those arrested included fathers, coaches, legal and illegal immigrants, a registered sex offender, a high school student, and individuals with regular access to children. Charges commonly involved using a computer to solicit/lure a child, traveling to meet after online solicitation, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and in some cases kidnapping, transmitting harmful material, weapons/drug violations, or probation breaches.
Sheriff Billy Woods and officials described the suspects as "pure evil" and emphasized the proactive approach to online predation, noting it occurs via apps and devices in children's bedrooms rather than traditional stranger dangers. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier highlighted it as part of a broader statewide effort (nearly 1,700 child predators arrested since he took office in early 2025). The investigation was ongoing, with possible additional arrests.
Education Profession Affiliations:
Reports (including headlines and official statements) refer to "teachers" (plural) and "parents, teachers among 58 arrested," indicating more than one individual affiliated with education had regular access to children.
At least one confirmed: Ashay Shakes, 31, a second-grade teacher at Fessenden Elementary School in Marion County (originally from Jamaica, on a work visa; also noted as an author of children's books). He was terminated by the school district (his contract had not been renewed earlier, with his last day May 29). Sheriff Woods praised the superintendent for quick action.
No comprehensive public list or exact total for educators (e.g., teachers, coaches in educational settings, or school staff) was detailed in announcements beyond the plural reference and this specific case. A youth football (Pop Warner) coach, Wyatt Bernstein, 27, was also arrested, but this is extracurricular rather than direct school employment.