Seminole County detective arrested for warning suspects of active investigation, deputies say

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A detective for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office was arrested Thursday and charged with 15 felony counts after warning suspects of criminal investigations involving minors.

In April, the sheriff’s office began an investigation after they learned that Jose Tirado, a detective assigned to the SCSO Crimes Against Children Unit, covertly used technology to warn suspects intending to travel to meet minors for sex that they were involved in an undercover operation.

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This allowed suspects to avoid arrest, and potentially put other detectives in harm’s way. These investigations involved detectives using undercover personas and involved no real child victims, according to a new release.

“You (Tirado) were responsible for investigating allegations of criminal child abuse, neglect and abandonment, and sexual-based offenses, against minors, and investigating and apprehending those individuals who would travel to meet a minor for the purposes of sexual activity. You were responsible for protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, our children, and the actions you are alleged to have committed instead aided those who would seek to victimize children by allowing them to avoid arrest and prosecution,” said Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma.

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Tirado has been employed with the agency since May 2010 and joined the Crimes Against Unit as a detective in 2015. He was suspended on April 21, 2023, when an Administrative Investigation was initiated.

Tirado was booked on a $65,000 bond and placed on GPS monitoring Thursday evening. Lemma said the Sheriff’s office immediately initiated the process to terminate Tirado’s employment at the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

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Tirado is charged with five counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, five counts of disclosure or use of confidential criminal justice information, and five counts of unlawful use of a computer, network, or electronic device resulting in the interruption or impairment of governmental operation.

The criminal and administrative investigations are open and ongoing, and the Office of the State Attorney, 18th Judicial Circuit, will prosecute the case.

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