Local Law Enforcement Lauded for Efforts on Behalf of Missing Kids

Members of the Clearwater/Tampa Bay Area Task Force on Human Trafficking spend their days and nights hunting down bad guys, rescuing modern-day slaves and bringing attention to an issue that’s of growing concern in the region and across the country.

Those efforts were recognized recently when the team was named the 2013-14 Florida Missing Children’s Day Law Enforcement Task Force of the Year.

Team members honored during a ceremony in Tallahassee come from three different agencies: the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Clearwater Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Members are:

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Investigative Operations Bureau, Special Victims Unit

• Sergeant Todd Greene
• Sergeant Kurt Romanosky
• Det. Holly Tsanakaliotis
• Det. Jennifer Zinge
• Det. Joe Burns
• Det. Guy Kirby
• Det. Tracy Longano

Clearwater Police Department

• Det. James McBride
• Officer Shannon Kasparek

Department of Homeland Security
Homeland Security Investigations

• Special Agent William Williger

The task force received the recognition for its handling of a 2013 online sexual predator case in which a man intended to take a 16-year-old girl out of state.

The multi-agency investigation ended with the arrest of Carlos Santiago Garcia, 22, of Oldsmar. Police arrested Garcia as he and the girl were putting luggage in the trunk of his car.

“Garcia was arrested for interference with child custody, traveling to meet a minor, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and use of computer services prohibited,” an email from the Pinellas sheriff’s office stated.

The award, the agency noted, shows “how local and federal law enforcement working together by sharing information, ideas and responsibilities stopped an online predator from taking the minor out of state for the purpose of engaging her in unlawful sexual activity.”

Photo Credit: Task force members courtesy of the Pinealls County Sheriff’s Office