A 68-year-old man widely known and loved as “Polk County Santa,” who has portrayed Santa Claus at major Florida Christmas parades, events, and photo shoots for nearly a decade, was arrested for allegedly trying to pay $200 to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.
Thomas Allen Hicks of Lakeland was one of 19 suspects taken into custody during “Operation Child Protector VIII,” a multi-day, multi-agency undercover sting led by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office that targeted individuals seeking to sexually exploit minors.
Sheriff Grady Judd announced the arrest during a press conference on Wednesday.
Judd held up Hicks’ booking photo as well as photographs of him in his Santa garb.
“We arrested Santa Claus,” Sheriff Judd said. “I want all the children who are watching to know that it is not the real Santa Claus. This is a guy, though, who is well-known in Polk County, Central Florida, and Lakeland as a for-hire Santa Claus.”
Judd added, “He’s not going to be Santa Claus this next year.”
“Thousands and thousands and thousands of children have sat on this guy’s lap thinking he was Santa Claus when, in fact, he was a child sex predator,” the sheriff emphasized.
WATCH:
According to the official arrest affidavit, an undercover detective posted an ad on a known prostitution site posing as a human trafficker offering his fictitious 13-year-old daughter for sex acts.
Hicks responded, continued communicating after learning the girl’s age, negotiated $200 for one hour, and explicitly told the undercover officer he “would be gentle.”
The Sheriff’s Office said in a press release:
Hicks sent social media messages to an undercover detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl’s guardian. He told the UC that he would pay $200 to have sex with the girl and was explicit in describing the sex acts he wanted to perform on the child, but said that he would be gentle. He told detectives that he has been married over 50 years, but regularly goes onto known “prostitution sites” looking for prostitutes or companions.
The sick pervert showed up at the arranged meeting spot, a retail parking lot, carrying $382 in cash, and was immediately arrested.
Hicks also claimed to have been a preacher for more than 40 years.
When he wasn’t playing Santa, Hicks worked in marketing for Tri-County Behavioral Health/Human Services in Polk County. He has also worked in the Lakeland Christmas Parade since at least 2017 and has been hired by multiple local photographers for children’s holiday photo sessions.
Tri-County Human Services issued a statement confirming he has been terminated and they are cooperating with authorities.
Fox 13 reports:
Hicks, according to the document, admitted that he knew the ad was for a girl who was 13 years old, and acknowledged that he should not have had continued contact or sexual thoughts about her.
The document states that Hicks said he wasn’t sure if he would have tried to have sex with the child victim if he knew she was real.
According to the affidavit, the suspect was calm while being interviewed, but did show emotion when asked about his wife or his reputation.
Hicks faces multiple felony charges, including human trafficking for commercial sexual activity involving a minor, traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual conduct, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and using a computer to solicit a parent/guardian for access to a child.
This is the latest in Sheriff Grady Judd’s long-running series of aggressive “Child Protector” stings that have removed dozens of predators from the streets in recent years.
Auburndale Police Chief Terry Storie urged parents to be vigilant in protecting their children because there are so many more predators out there.
“The most frustrating thing they’ll say is, ‘I just want to give my kids privacy.’ That is a load of crap,” Storie said. “You get one chance to raise your children, and you need to be involved in every aspect of their life and digging deep into that cell phone, and seeing what they’re doing online and who they’re chatting with.”
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