Colorado corrections officer arrested as part of ‘Operation Child Protector III’

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (KKTV) - A Colorado Corrections officer was arrested as part of a nationwide sting targeting suspected child predators by a Florida sheriff’s office.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of 30 people on Friday as part of “Operation Child Protector III.” Among the nearly three dozen arrests was a Colorado corrections officer, 45-year-old Justin Sturtevant from Pueblo West. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is reporting Sturtevant worked at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City.

“On February 6, 2023, Sturtevant engaged in an online conversation on a social networking site with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl,” part of a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office reads. “During the conversation, the ‘girl’ told Sturtevant several times that she was only 14. Despite knowing he was communicating with a minor, Sturtevant sent a sexually explicit image to the detective as well as instigated sexually explicit conversations.”

Sturtevant is facing multiple charges including use of a computer to solicit a child for sex.

Copyright 2023 KKTV. All rights reserved.