‘The guac sold out.’ Bradenton man arrested after food contamination, FDLE says
A Bradenton man is accused of using his semen to contaminate food sold at a local restaurant as part of a statewide investigation into online child exploitation.
Travis Lee Montgomery, 34, faces multiple felony charges after a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation resulted in his arrest and the arrests of two other men in different counties, according to a news release. Investigators say he shared a video of himself ejaculating into food that he claimed was later sold to customers.
Montgomery is charged with six counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, a second-degree felony count of soliciting sexual abuse images from a parent or legal guardian and a first-degree felony count of food tampering, according to the sheriff’s office website.
“These arrests reflect our ongoing commitment to child protection. If you are trying to prey on kids, we are watching and we are coming for you,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement.
The investigation into Montgomery began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that a user on the messaging app Kik shared about 13 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material, according to an arrest report. One of the images allegedly included text advertising the sale of such material.
Investigators say they traced the online user to Rachel Openshaw-Tapia, a 29-year-old Canadian woman living in Washington state. According to an arrest report, Openshaw-Tapia told police she shared sexual images of her a 5-year-old and a 6-year-old girl with an “online paramour” to keep him interested in her sexually.
Investigators said they identified that man as Montgomery.
Text messages between Montgomery and Openshaw-Tapia revealed he received files depicting the abuse material and at one point sent her a video of himself ejaculating into a plastic tub of guacamole at a Sarasota Tex-Mex restaurant where he worked as a chef, according to an arrest report. He later joked in messages to Openshaw-Tapia that customers had consumed the contaminated guacamole.
“The guac sold out Earlier btw,” Montgomery wrote, according to an arrest report.
Montgomery no longer works at the restaurant, FDLE said.
FDLE agents executed a search warrant at Montgomery’s Bradenton home on April 17 and seized electronic devices, which they say contained child sexual abuse materials.
Montgomery was arrested and booked into the Manatee County Jail with bail set at $260,000, according to the sheriff’s office.
Montgomery’s arrest was part of a coordinated FDLE operation targeting three men statewide accused of possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material. FDLE says Kevin Randall Sheffield, 41, of Naples, Jason Grant Harrison, 46, of Jacksonville, were also arrested as part of the investigation.
“The individuals here are accused of preying on the most innocent and vulnerable among us — children who are too often victimized in horrific, unimaginable ways,” FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement. “Let me be clear: if you exploit or harm a child in Florida, FDLE will find you and we will hold you accountable.”
Openshaw-Tapia also faces child sexual abuse charges in Whatcom County, according to court records.
