Florida leads global sweep, rescuing 163 children and arresting three suspects

Attorney General James Uthmeier disclosed that a five-day, multi-agency sweep named Operation Statewide Shield rescued 163 children between two months and 17 years old across five continents, marking Florida's first statewide child-recovery initiative. The operation partnered with federal and international law-enforcement bodies, locating children in U.S. states such as Florida, Alabama, California, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Tennessee, as well as in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominica, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Spain and Taiwan.

Those recovered were runaways, abandoned, abused or trafficking victims, and were transferred to hubs where social-service workers, medical providers and victim advocates offered support; some were reunited with families while others entered foster care. Three men—Michael Prescott, Robert Ferral Allison and Jayden Allen Harwood—have been arrested on charges including lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, felony battery and interference in custody cases.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement directed the effort, drawing on lessons from prior U.S. Marshals operations and collaborating with the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Juvenile Justice, Baycare, More to Life, the Florida Human Trafficking Victims Fund and 13 sheriff’s offices. Officials indicated that additional investigations are ongoing and more arrests are expected.