News and Investigations

On January 5, 2026, PCSO detectives arrested 43-year-old Marie Ibarra of Wauchula on charges related to unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

The investigation began in December when the victim’s mother discovered videos on her son’s phone showing Ibarra performing oral sex on her son. The mother immediately recognized Ibarra as the woman in the videos, and also recognized that the recording took place inside her son’s bedroom.

Detectives located multiple videos on the device in which Ibarra’s face is clearly visible. The earliest video was timestamped December 4, 2025, at approximately 11:34 p.m. The victim, who was 16 years old at the time of the incident, confirmed he was the male depicted and stated that Ibarra had performed sexual acts on him. Ibarra was 43 at the time. The teen also disclosed that he and Ibarra engaged in sexual intercourse.

When detectives contacted Ibarra, she acknowledged knowing why they wanted to speak with her but did not admit to the sexual abuse and refused to discuss it further.

Ibarra was charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor (F2) and transferred to the Polk County Jail.

“This is a complete betrayal of trust. This woman was a family acquaintance who chose to exploit a child she knew. She knew better, and she did it anyway. Now she’s going to face the consequences.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.