Santa Claus Arrested in Human Trafficking Sting

0:00It's April 30th. This is Tampa Bay News Today, driven by AI. A 68-year-old, Lakeland man famous for playing Santa at local events, got busted in a Polk County human trafficking sting. Thomas Allen Hicks tried to hook up with who he thought was a 13-year-old girl for sex, responding to an undercover ad on a prostitution site. Earlier this week, during Operation Child Protector the 8th, deputies posed as a parent offering their fake teen daughter. Hicks texted and called, even after learning her real age, arranging a meet-up where cops nabbed him on the spot. Folks in the community are shocked, since Hicks worked in marketing at a behavioral health center, led churches, and had thousands of kids on his lap. During Christmas parades and photo shoots. Sheriff Grady Judd called him out as a straight-up child predator hiding in plain sight. In his interview, Hicks admitted to a 50-plus-year marriage, but chasing prostitutes online regularly. He spacing heavy charges like human trafficking of a minor, soliciting a guardian, and a

1:00lawful use of communication devices. Meanwhile, he was one of 19 arrests in the multi-agency op, with most charged for traveling to meet minors. This thing reminds us predators lurk everywhere, and law enforcement stays on the hunt to protect the kids.