Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper announced a successful multi-phase operation targeting individuals attempting to engage in sexual crimes against minors, resulting in 23 total arrests across Florida and Georgia.
Special Operation Deviant Nightfall, a four-day coordinated effort beginning January 15th, 2025, led to 16 arrests. The operation involved undercover detectives posing as minors online, then intercepting suspects who attempted to arrange sexual encounters
with who they believed were children.
A follow-up phase, dubbed Deviant Sunrise, resulted in seven additional arrests over the subsequent two months, expanding the operation’s reach across multiple counties. Some notable arrests include Harrison “Ted” Clark from Orange Park, a Clay County elected official who resigned from the Soil and Water Conservation District. The suspect was arrested for attempting to meet who he believed was a 14-year-old boy for sex.
Willie Wright, a registered sex offender from Green Cove Springs, was charged with attempting to meet a purported 14-year-old girl while traveling with his own 3-year-old child. The child was safely placed with a victim’s advocate during the arrest.
Carl Eubanks, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot from Middleburg, faced charges for attempting to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old boy. Additional charges from Clay County include allegations of previously having sexual contact with a minor between 13 and 14-years-old.
“These individuals we arrested represent the worst in our society to prey on our children,” Sheriff Bill Leeper said. “These suspects need to be in jail and that’s where we put them.”
“We’ve taken individuals who sought to have sex with a child off the street. To me, there’s no worse crime worth arresting for,” Det. Joshua Carter, the lead investigator on the special operation, said. “It’s unfortunate and something that needs to be stopped in our community.”
The operation was a collaborative effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies including, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Florida Highway Patrol, Lake City and Fernandina Beach police departments, and Clay, St. Johns, and Jacksonville sheriff’s offices.
Most suspects now face multiple felony charges, with arrests primarily conducted in Yulee, Florida.
