A UF student was taken into custody in Pinellas County March 17 after attempting to purchase sex with a 14- and 15-year-old girl over the internet, according to an arrest report.
Theodore Rex Walrond, 21, was charged with four felonies: human trafficking, traveling to meet a minor, unlawful use of a two-way communications device and possession of cocaine.
The St. Petersburg Police Department in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force began an undercover investigation March 17, where officers created fake online advertisements selling sex with children, according to the report.
Walrond allegedly responded to the ad and requested two girls, ages 14 and 15, from the post. When officers told him their ages, he allegedly requested more photos.
He then agreed to pay $200 for 30 minutes of sex with the two, according to the arrest report.
Officers met Walrond at a parking lot where he allegedly paid $100 upfront and agreed to pay the rest after.
Law enforcement arrested Walrond and found the other $100 on him and a small baggie of cocaine in his wallet.
The arrest was one of 18 total arrests by the sting operation, according to WFLA.
Walrond is still enrolled at UF, though the University Police Department has initiated the process to issue a trespass warning — which would bar him from campus, according to a UF spokesperson.
Walrond was denied bond, and his next court hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Contact Aidan Bush at abush@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @aidandisto.
Aidan Bush is a third-year journalism major and the Spring 2024 Engagement Managing Editor of The Alligator. In his free time, he likes to listen to music and go kayaking.
