- March 14, 2025
A 41-year-old Ormond Beach man has been convicted to 366 days in prison after being arrested in November 2024 by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office following a four-month undercover operation targeting adults trying to solicit underage children for sex.
Joshua Johnson pleaded guilty to the charge of traveling to meet a minor for sex. In addition to serving prison time, he will also be placed on nine years of sex offender probation.
The undercover operation — coined "Operation Heartbreaker 2" by the FCSO — arrested eight people, including Johnson, after they chatted online to undercover agents to try to solicit them for sex; they believed they were speaking to juvenile girls, according to a press release.
Nicholas Franklin, 83, of St. Augustine, was also convicted recently. He pleaded guilty to the charge of using a computer to seduce, solicit or lure a child. He was sentenced to six months of community control, followed by five years of probation with sex offender conditions.
Five of the eight men arrested in the operation have been convicted.
