LAKELAND, FL — A 68-year-old Winter Haven man who performed as Santa Claus at major Christmas events across Polk County was arrested April 21 after allegedly attempting to solicit sex from someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl during an undercover law enforcement operation.
Thomas Allen Hicks faces human trafficking charges after investigators say he agreed to pay $200 for sex with a child during communications with a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy posing as the girl’s guardian. The arrest marks a stunning fall for a man who portrayed Santa in Lakeland’s annual Christmas parade for three consecutive years and served as a preacher for four decades. Hicks was among 19 suspects arrested in “Operation Child Protector VIII,” a week-long sting targeting individuals who exploit children online.
According to the arrest affidavit, Hicks responded to an online advertisement and later spoke by phone with an undercover detective posing as a father trafficking his teenage daughter. During that conversation, deputies say Hicks agreed to pay $200 for sex with the child and was explicit in describing the acts he wanted to perform. “He said that he would be gentle,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a Wednesday news conference. On April 21, Hicks told the undercover agent he was sitting in a parking lot at a shopping center in Lakeland, where deputies took him into custody. Investigators found $382 in his wallet at the time of arrest, including two $100 bills matching the agreed-upon payment amount.
Hicks told investigators during questioning that he has been married for more than 50 years but regularly visits prostitution websites, according to the affidavit. The City of Lakeland confirmed Hicks portrayed Santa in the city’s 44th Annual Christmas Parade last December and had participated in the event for the past three years. “This is a guy who is well known in Polk County and Central Florida and Lakeland as a for-hire Santa Claus,” Sheriff Judd said. “He’s a preacher, I’m told, of 40 years. He is a professional Santa Claus. He is well-regarded in the community.” Court documents show Hicks works in marketing for Tri-County Behavioral Health in Polk County and has performed as Santa at several different events annually throughout the region.
The multi-day undercover investigation involved multiple local, state, and out-of-state agencies focused on individuals who use the internet to target minors and travel to meet them. Of the 19 suspects arrested, 16 are accused of communicating with someone they believed to be a minor or a child’s guardian and then traveling to meet them for illegal sexual activity. Three suspects, including Hicks, face human trafficking charges specifically for offering to pay to have sex with a child. The operation resulted in a combined 85 felony charges and eight misdemeanor charges across all suspects. Five suspects traveled from outside Polk County, seven are married, and three are military veterans. Three suspects sent nude photos to undercover detectives during their communications.
“My initial reaction was I was elated. It warmed my heart that we arrested the ‘Santa Clause Lite,’ because he was in a position of trust, where people all across this community trusted him and trusted him for years,” Sheriff Judd said. State Attorney Brian Haas emphasized that prosecutors strategize with undercover detectives during operations to ensure cases can withstand common defenses like entrapment claims. “We’re at these operations. We’re strategizing with the undercover detectives to make sure that we have the work that needs to be done,” Haas said. He added that similar cases from these types of operations have historically resulted in high conviction rates. Auburndale Police Chief Terry Storie used the arrests to warn parents about online dangers their children face.
Hicks is charged with human trafficking, traveling to meet a minor, use of computer to seduce a child, and use of two-way communication device to commit a felony. The other 18 suspects arrested in the operation include men ranging in age from 18 to 62 from across Florida and one from Massachusetts. Among them are Tyler Berrie, 33, of Lake Wales; Trenton Berry, 51, of Lakeland; Noah Berumen, 33, of Orlando; and Robert Johnson, 62, of Walpole, Massachusetts. Sheriff Judd noted the irony of arresting someone he had recently posed for photos with at community events. “It’s scary because this guy was well-respected in the community,” Judd said during the news conference.
Law enforcement officials say the case highlights how predators use phones and online platforms to reach children, though no real minors were involved in this particular operation. “You get one chance to raise your children. One. And you need to be involved in every aspect of their life including digging deep into that cell phone and seeing what they’re doing online and seeing who they’re chatting with,” Chief Storie said. The investigation demonstrates the ongoing threat posed by online predators who target minors through digital communications and social media platforms. Prosecutors noted that while the operation involved undercover detectives rather than actual victims, these cases expose very real threats to children in the community.
