West Orange High coach arrested in human-trafficking sting

A West Orange High School coach was among 160 people arrested in a seven-day Polk County Sheriff's Office human-trafficking operation, Polk Sheriff Grady Judd announced Friday, Sept. 9.

According to Sheriff's Office reports, John Layton, 26, of Gotha, worked as a coach at West Orange High School. Judd said he was arrested after he answered an online escort advertisement and agreed to pay $40 for a sex act. When he arrived to the sting location, he was wearing a school track and field shirt. Layton is listed as a "non-faculty coach" on the school's website.

Judd said that during the arrest, Layton asked how long it would take — because he had track practice in the morning.

“No, the students have track practice in the morning,” Judd said. "You have jail practice in the morning."

According to Orange County Public Schools Media Relations Manager Michael Ollendorff, Layton resigned from his coaching post Sept. 8.

In addition to Layton, Cameron Burke, of Ocoee, arrived at the sting location to have sex with a prostitute. Burke was currently released on bond for lewd and lascivious battery on a 15-year-old student at Oak Ridge High School in Orange County. He was arrested in 2021 after the Orange County Sheriff’s Office learned Burke was having sex with the high school student beginning in August 2020. At the time of his arrest, he was employed as a computer technician for the school.

The Sheriff's Office also arrested Guillermo Perez, 57, of Winter Garden. He responded to an online escort advertisement and agreed to pay $80 to have sex with an undercover detective. Perez works as a bellhop for Disney.

“The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked," Judd said. "Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings (Johns) and those profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Prostitution is not a victimless crime — it results in exploitation, disease, dysfunction, drug and alcohol addiction, violence and broken families.”