A man who played Santa Claus at Polk County Christmas events, Thomas Allen Hicks, was arrested during an undercover operation focused on child predators. Hicks, 68, responded to an ad on a known prostitution site posted by an undercover detective, offering his fictitious 15-year-old daughter for commercial sex acts.
Hicks claimed to be a preacher for over 40 years and played Santa at the Lakeland Christmas parade for at least a decade. He was arrested after telling the undercover detective that he was in the parking lot at a major retail store.
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.
Tri-County Human Services, where Hicks was a marketing manager, terminated him following the arrest.
