Operation Silver Spur: More than 100 sex offenders back behind bars, facing new felonies
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Over 100 sex offenders are back behind bars after failing to comply with requirements of their release.
In a joint effort between the Osceola County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Task Service, 126 people were served warrants for registry violations. Now, they're facing new felonies.
Inside 'Operation Silver Spur'
What we know:
"Operation Silver Spur" was launched in June 2026 as a joint operation for sexual offenders/predators between the US Marshals, The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Sexual Offenders Unit and state probation.
During the operation, law enforcement focused on verifying the location of sex offenders. The individuals targeted in the operation were either convicted or had pleaded guilty to sex offenses.
Florida law on registered sex offenders
A condition of a sex offender's release is that they register and report their temporary or permanent residence. Failure to do so results in being taken into custody and arrested, U.S. Marshal Bill Berger said during a July 13 press conference.
Officials worked to verify addresses, absconders, inspected offenders who were on and off probation and reviewed registration records to ensure full compliance with Florida law, Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon reported.
Individuals arrested in Operation Silver Spur (Source: Osceola County Sheriff's Office)
Among the 126 arrested were five people who attempted to "disappear," Blackmon said, and two people who knowingly provided false information to law enforcement.
Other violations included failing to register vehicles, cell phones and social media accounts.
"Those are not minor paperwork violations," Blackmon said, saying online accounts can be used as tools to exploit new victims.
Watch: Full press conference
126 sexual offenders behind bars to not complying with registration requirements
Over 100 sex offenders are back behind bars after failing to comply with requirements after their release. In a joint effort between the Osceola County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshal Task Service, 126 people were served warrants for failing to comply with registry requirements. Now, they're facing new felonies.
The backstory:
Osceola County is home to 667 registered sex offenders and predators, Blackmon said.
"Protecting our community requires constant vigilance," he said.
A stern warning to local offenders
"To the registered offenders and predators living in Osceola County, let Operation Silver Spur be your warning," Blackmon said. "If you violate the law, hide a phone or conceal a social media account or attempt to disappear, we will do everything in our power we can – legally – to find you and put you in jail."
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.