PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—A Georgia deputy police chief attending a polygraph training workshop in Orlando landed behind bars after Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said he was caught in a prostitution sting on Sept. 1.
According to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Jason DiPrima, 49 of Kingston, Georgia, was arrested on Sept. 1 for “soliciting a prostitute,” which is a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida.
He was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail and later released on a $500 bond.
The police report said that DePrima called an online ad for a prostitute, asked her rate and if she was available on the evening of Aug. 30.
He then agreed to meet and have sex with the woman, who was an undercover detective, but told her he “got spooked” and asked to meet the following evening.
DePrima was then arrested after handing over money to the policewoman.
Judd said at a Sept. 6 press conference that DePrima had already been “flimflammed” in a confidence scam with a prostitute the night before he met with the female detective.
He said DePrima had answered an online ad and was told to buy a cash app card. The woman then asked him to take a picture of the card so that she would know he was “legitimate.” But she never showed up to their meeting as she got the information from the card and “that is all she needed to obtain the cash.”
“He was flimflammed and conned by a prostitute. She got the information off the card, got $200, and left him high and dry,” Judd said shaking his head in apparent disgust.
The arrest was part of a week-long human trafficking investigation.
Judd disclosed that the Kingston police chief is “angry beyond words,” because not only did DePrima get arrested for prostitution, but he engaged in an illegal act while driving an undercover car assigned to the DEA task force carrying alcoholic beverages.
“He embarrassed this entire industry,” Judd said of the arrest. “If you violate the law, we’re gonna arrest you; that’s just the way it is.”
It is “equal opportunity” when it comes to violating the law, even if it is his own officers, Judd said.
“We’ve got over 1,000 deputies,” Judd said. “Occasionally one of them does something inappropriate and when they do, I will arrest them.”
“I don’t want people to violate the law—I don’t want people to commit moral crimes that create and support an industry of human traffickers,” he said.
“I don’t want to create an environment where predators seek young girls—we have a community that looks out for the best interest of our children and looks out for the victims of human trafficking.”
Judd said the majority of the people he has arrested in the human trafficking stings are not from Polk County.
“You have to live under a rock if you haven’t seen some of our operations,” Judd said laughing. “I don’t keep it a secret.”
Judd went on to say that the deputy police chief is suspended “pending their [Kingston Police Department] disciplinary actions” as well as facing criminal charges in Polk County.
“According to all the information we received, he’s got a beautiful wife and a great family,” Judd said at the press conference. “You just want to say, ‘come on man’ have you lost the last three brain cells?”
“The whole thing is just insane.”
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