A detective working for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office was arrested on Thursday and is facing 15 felony charges. The charges stem from his actions of warning suspects involved in criminal investigations related to minors.
The investigation into Jose Tirado began in April, when it was discovered that he, as a detective in the SCSO Crimes Against Children Unit, was secretly using technology to alert suspects planning to meet minors for sexual activities about undercover operations targeting them.
As a result, these suspects managed to evade arrest, potentially putting other detectives in danger. It’s important to note that these operations did not involve actual child victims; instead, detectives used undercover personas.
Sheriff Dennis Lemma expressed his disappointment, stating that Tirado’s role was to investigate crimes against minors and apprehend individuals intending to exploit children sexually. However, Tirado’s alleged actions actually assisted those seeking to harm children by enabling them to evade capture and prosecution.
Tirado had been with the agency since May 2010 and joined the Crimes Against Children Unit as a detective in 2015. He was suspended on April 21, 2023, when an Administrative Investigation was launched.
Following his arrest, Tirado was booked with a bond set at $65,000 and placed under GPS monitoring. The Sheriff’s office has already begun the process of terminating his employment.
The charges against Tirado include five counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, five counts of disclosing or using confidential criminal justice information, and five counts of unlawful use of a computer, network, or electronic device, resulting in the interruption or impairment of governmental operation.
Both criminal and administrative investigations are ongoing, and the case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 18th Judicial Circuit.
