This Santa is on the very, very naughty list.
A married Santa Claus impersonator who sat “thousands and thousands of children” on his lap over the years has been nabbed in an undercover child sex sting
Thomas Allen Hicks, 68, a white-bearded professional Santa and preacher of 40 years, allegedly responded to an online ad posted by an undercover detective pretending to be a parent offering sex with their 13-year-old daughter, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
The accused predator was busted after agreeing to pay $200 and explicitly describing the sex acts he wanted to perform on the child — and grossly promising to be “gentle,” the sheriff’s office said.
“I talked to the real Santa Claus today, and he’s pissed,” Judd joked to reporters on Wednesday.
“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.’”
Hicks has been married for more than 50 years and was “well-regarded” in the professional Santa Claus community, according to Judd.
“Thousands and thousands and thousands of children have sat on this guy’s lap thinking he was Santa Claus when in fact what he was is a child sex predator,” the sheriff said of the suspect who played Santa at the Lakeland Christmas parade for at least a decade.
Hicks, of Lakeland, was one of 19 arrested in the sting.
He 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.
He has been a preacher for more than 40 years and worked for Tri-County Behavioral Health, a mental health and drug abuse clinic in Polk County, Judd said.
He allegedly admitted that he was attracted to the girl in the ad, and decided to try meeting with her despite being suspicious that it was a set-up, according to an affidavit obtained by Fox 13.
The sicko also revealed to detectives that he’s been married for more than 50 years but regularly picks up prostitutes he finds online.
Hicks was fired from his job at Tri-County Behavioral Health following his arrest.
“Mr. Hicks did not have access to clients or their electronic health records and was not able to gather any data related to child information at any time during his employment,” the company said in a statement.
Eighteen other alleged perverts were arrested in the week-long sting, dubbed “Operation Child Protector VIII,” which involved multiple agencies across several Florida counties.
Sixteen of the suspects allegedly communicated with undercover detectives whom they believed were children or guardians of children and traveled to meet a minor for sex. Three sent nude photos to undercover officers.
Seven of the suspects are married, and three are military veterans, police said.
In total, the suspects are collectively charged with 85 felonies and 8 misdemeanors.
