Seminole detective accused of assisting suspects

Allegedly warned people traveling for sex with minors

A detective with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is facing more than a dozen felony charges for tipping off people traveling to have sex with minors, the agency said.

On Thursday, Jose Tirado, a detective assigned to the SCSO Crimes Against Children Unit, was arrested for multiple counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, disclosure or use of confidential criminal justice information and unlawful use of a computer, network or electronic device resulting in the interruption or impairment of government operation.

The Sheriff ’s Office said investigators discovered Tirado covertly contacted suspects to warn them that they were involved in an undercover operation and began a criminal investigation into Tirado in April.

An investigation determined Tirado repeatedly warned suspects that the minors they were traveling to meet for sex were detectives using undercover personas, allowing suspects to avoid arrest.

According to an affidavit in support of Tirado’s arrest, his misconduct came to light amid a “traveler operation” that began Feb. 1, in which undercover detectives posing as girls sought to lure suspects to meet them with promises of sex.

During the operation, a detective posing as a 14-year-old girl made contact with a person known as “Manuel” and arranged to meet with him on Feb. 3.

But just before the meeting was to take place, Manuel texted the detective a screenshot of messages he had received, which investigators later learned were sent by Tirado:

“She is fake dude, stay away”

“I’m trying to help you out, delete and go away”

“Don’t do it, your [sic] going to get caught”

Manuel stopped communicating with the detective and never showed up, according to the affidavit. He remains at large.

An investigation determined that five suspects allegedly were sent warnings by Tirado. Two, including Manuel, didn’t show up for meetings and were not arrested. One showed up anyway and was arrested. The other two skipped the meetings but were later identified and apprehended, though their arrests were delayed, one by 10 days and the other by 20.

Using data from phones they seized from the apprehended suspects, detectives were able to trace the messages to an account on Pinger, which allows users to send texts over the internet.

That account traced back to a Gmail account that Tirado had used in his undercover work — and was registered in the name of a persona that he had used in “traveler operations” like the one he sabotaged, the affidavit said.

Additional analysis determined that the Pinger account was created on Tirado’s agency-issued iPhone.

Tirado was suspended on April 21, after 13 years of employment with the Sheriff ’s Office. He joined the Crimes Against Unit as a detective in 2015, according to the release.

In the position, his duties included investigating allegations of criminal child abuse and abandonment, investigating allegations of sexual based offenses against minors and apprehending those individuals who would travel to meet a minor for the purposes of sexual activity.

Kim Cannaday, Seminole County Sheriff ’s Office spokeswoman said the Sheriff ’s Office is in the process of terminating Tirado’s position.

Before it is finalized Tirado is entitled to a meeting with the sheriff to discuss the foregoing violations and proposed discipline, she said in an email to the Orlando Sentinel.

Criminal and administrative investigations into Tirado are ongoing.

On Thursday, Tirado was booked in the John E. Polk Correctional Facility on a $65,000 bond and placed on a monitoring system.

The Sheriff ’s Office did not share Tirado’s mugshot citing Florida law that exempts photos of law enforcement from public release.

Sheriff Dennis Lemma said Tirado was responsible for “protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, our children, and the actions [Tirado] are alleged to have committed instead aided those who would seek to victimize children by allowing them to avoid arrest and prosecution.”