A Seminole County Sheriff’s Office detective is facing over a dozen felony charges for allegedly warning suspects who were intending to travel to meet minors for sex that they were involved in an undercover operation.
Jose Tirado, 47, was arrested on Thursday, July 27 on an active warrant for 15 felony charges. Tirado, who was assigned to the SCSO Crimes Against Children Unit, is accused of tipping off suspects wanted in connection with seeking sex from minors.
The sheriff’s office initiated a criminal investigation in Tirado in April after they discovered that he had covertly used technology to warn suspects intending to travel to meet minors for sex. In his communications, Tirado conveyed to the suspects that they were involved in an undercover operation, which allowed them to avoid arrest.
The investigations involved detectives using undercover personas and did not involve any real child victims.
Tirado has been employed with SCSO since May 2010, joining the Crimes Against Children Unit as a detective in 2015.
On April 21, 2023, he was suspended after an administrative investigation was initiated. According to the statement, Sheriff Dennis Lemma immediately initiated the process to terminate Tirado’s employment from his office.
Tirado was booked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility on a $65,000 bond and placed on GPS monitoring on Thursday. He faces a bevy of charges in the case, including 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.