POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Two men arrested by the Polk County Sheriff's Office during an undercover child pornography investigation in 2021 received multiple consecutive life sentences on Friday.
According to a statement from the sheriff's office, 30-year-old David Lavin, Jr. and Harrison Egbert, 33, were responsible for repeatedly sexually abusing an 8-year-old child together. Deputies say they created, filmed and traded child pornography.
On Aug. 22, Lavin Jr. of Winter Haven received 27 consecutive life sentences, which will be served in the state Florida prison system. He pleaded no contest to 21 counts of possession of child pornography, four counts of sexual battery by a suspect over 18 on a victim under 12, one count of lewd molestation and one count of promoting sexual performance by a child.
Back in May, Egbet, also of Winter Haven, received four consecutive life sentences, which will be served in the state Florida prison system as well. He pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual battery by a suspect over 18 on a victim under 12 and two counts of lewd molestation by a suspect over 18 on a victim under 12.
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Both men were designated as sexual predators, deputies explained.
“Through the years we have dealt with some truly despicable men who commit some of the most heinous crimes against children you can imagine, but these two are the worst of the worst," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
He continued in part, "Lavin and Egbert will be locked up for the rest of their lives, where they can’t hurt the most innocent of victims – our children.”
A total of 2,777 charges were filed as part of "Operation Guardians of the Innocence VII," the agency said in a statement.
The Marine veteran, Egbert, accounts for 1,000 of those charges.
Judd said the 33-year-old was a "hoarder" of child pornography and told detectives he had looked at "thousands" of child porn files.
Egbert reportedly confessed to sexually abusing three young girls, ages 5, 7 and 8 years old, adding that he had taken photos and video of the abuse with the help of a friend, Judd said.
That friend, Lavin Jr., reportedly also confessed to taking the videos and photos of the little girls. Additionally, detectives said he took one of the girls to Egbert's home multiple times to be abused.
Judd said Ivonnette Leon interfered with the investigation. She faces multiple charges, including tampering with a victim, accessory after the fact and contributing to the dependency of a minor.
Also arrested for interfering with the investigation was Shannon Speller. Judd said she runs an unlicensed daycare called Kids Clubhouse Learning Center in Winter Haven. One of the children abused by Egbert went to the daycare, according to Judd.
Judd said the sheriff's office doesn't have any evidence any of the other children at the unlicensed daycare were abused.
Speller was charged with accessory after the fact.
The sheriff's office says 14 other people face child porn charges, including four teenagers.