POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office recently arrested 17 men on child porn charges during "Operation Guardians of Innocence IV: Fall Haul."

• 17 men arrested on child porn charges in Polk County
• Month-long probe targeted those who possessed or shared child porn

Polk County detectives conducted a month-long special investigation that focused on identifying members of the community who possessed and shared child pornography. 

Among those arrested include two Disney employees, Brett Kinney, 40, and Donald Durr, Jr., 52; former Seth McKeel Middle Assistant Principal William Hage, 76; and University of Central Florida student Dominic Bernardi, 19.

Authorities said some of the men had contacted children for sexual favors or solicited sexually explicit photos from children.  One admitted that if he didn't look at child pornography he would sexually batter children, according to the arrest report. 

"The people arrested during this operation prey on the most innocent and vulnerable among us---our children. The undercover detectives who investigate these crimes have to see things that nobody should have to see, and no child should have to experience. Each one of these arrests has removed a predator from our streets, and the internet," Sheriff Grady Judd said. 

Judd spoke to assembled media about the operation and arrests on Friday. He said Hage, who retired from his assistant principal position 14 years ago, was on the internet chatting about unlawful sexual activity with children when deputies served a search warrant at his Lakeland home.

"[Hage's] child porn was normally with children as young as eight years of age," Judd explained. "When we served the search warrant he was engaged in active chat about how to have sex with children."

Judd went on to call Kinney, who lives in Lake Alfred, "scary," and said he reportedly told authorities he'd been viewing child porn for 22 years.

"[Kinney] is a deviant," Judd explained. "This guy is a person who has deep-rooted sexual issues. He's in jail and he confessed."

Judd also described statements made to authorities by the other Disney employee arrested, Donald Durr, who reportedly said to investigators, "I'm a pervert, but I'm not a monster."

"Are you kidding me?" Judd said. "I agree with the first part of your statement — you are a pervert. But here's a newsflash: you're also a monster with a capital 'M'." 

The youngest person arrested was 19-years-old, while the oldest was 77-years-old. 

The 17 men arrested face a total of 626 charges — 624 felonies and two misdemeanors. The combined prior criminal histories of all of the men includes 114 felonies and 71 misdemeanors.

Click here for the names of all the men arrested and their charges.