Who is Thomas Allen Hicks? Polk County man who played Santa Claus arrested for trying to meet 13-year-old girl for sex
A man who played Santa Claus, Thomas Allen Hicks, at Polk County Christmas events was one of 19 people who were arrested during an undercover operation that focused on child predators. The week-long undercover investigation, “Operation Child Protector VIII,” began April 20, and was launched by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and several law enforcement agencies.
Detectives worked with investigators from several different sheriff’s offices, police departments, and the Florida Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division, according to Fox 13. As many as 19 suspects, including Hicks, were arrested.
Who is Thomas Allen Hicks?
Hicks, 68, responded to an ad on a known prostitution site posted by an undercover detective, according to an arrest affidavit, who offered his fictitious 15-year-old daughter up for commercial sex acts.
“We arrested Santa Claus,” Polk County Sheriff Grady 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 and Central Florida and Lakeland as a for-hire Santa Claus.”
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Hicks claimed to be a preacher for more than 40 years, and played Santa at the Lakeland Christmas parade for at least the last decade.
“He’s not going to be Santa Claus this next year,” Judd said. “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.”
Hicks was arrested after he told the undercover detective that he was in the parking lot at a major retail store. After his arrest, he told investigators that he has been married for over 50 years, but still regularly goes on prostitution sites looking for “hookers” and “companions.”
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According to the affidavit, Hicks said he was attracted to the female in the ad because she was petite. He kept coming back despite knowing that it may be a sting, because he was “intrigued.”
Hicks reportedly admitted that he knew the ad was for an underage girl, and that he should not have had continued contact or sexual thoughts about her. He added that he was not sure if he would have tried to have sex with the child if he knew she was real.
Hicks was charged with human trafficking, traveling to meet a minor, use of a computer to seduce a child and use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
“I talked to the real Santa Claus today and he’s pissed,” Judd said. “He said it’s people like that who give me a bad reputation and I spend all this time going all around the world giving presents to all the good boys and girls. Sheriff, I’m glad you got him locked up.”
“You can’t fix these people,” Judd added. “They’ve got a hitch in their giddy up. Their elevator don’t go all the way to the top. It stops at P – pedophile floor. It stops at P- predator floor. It stops at C- Child predator floor. These are dangerous people.”
Tri-County Human Services, where Hicks was a marketing manager, told Fox 13 that he has been terminated.
“Tri-County supports the Polk County Sheriff’s office in their investigation and activities to maintain the safety of the community. Mr. Hicks did not have access to clients or their electronic health record and was not able to gather any data related to child information at any time during his employment,” the company said.