Reporting the Truth.
Restoring the Church.

By Daniel Silliman

 Tom Hicks, a retired pastor, was arrested and charged with attempting to solicit sex with a minor in an undercover sting operation. (Photo courtesy of Polk County Jail)

More than 50,000 people waved and cheered last year as Tom Hicks, with a big white beard and a jolly “ho, ho, ho,” passed by in a sleigh. The 68-year-old man on the float pulled by a pickup truck was the grand finale of the Lakeland, Florida, Christmas parade, as he had been every year for more than a decade.

“It’s Santa!” an employee in the city’s communication department said on the public-access TV broadcast. “We know him!”

But now local authorities say the town didn’t know the real “Santa.” Thomas Allen Hicks, a retired Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) pastor, was arrested on April 21 and charged with sex trafficking.

Hicks allegedly tried to pay an undercover detective $200 to have sex with a 13-year-old girl. According to the sheriff’s office, Hicks said he would be gentle and “give her pleasure.” He now faces a possible life sentence.

“It’s scary because this guy was well respected in the community,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at an April 29 press conference. “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, was a child sex predator.”Tom Hicks, pictured with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd before his arrest, was later charged with attempting to solicit sex with a minor in an undercover sting. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

The sheriff himself appeared in a photo with Hicks a few weeks before his arrest. Now Judd says there are “not enough bad words” to describe a man like Hicks and “all the bad things” he’s done.

“He’s not going to be Santa Claus next year,” the sheriff said.

13 years leading Lakeland church

Hicks grew up wanting to be a pastor like his dad, he told an Orlando arts magazine in 2022. He was ordained in the C&MA and led churches in North Carolina and the Florida Panhandle before moving to Central Florida. He served as senior pastor of First Alliance Church in Lakeland from 2009 to 2022, retiring shortly after his 65th birthday.

In his final sermon, Hicks noted he’d preached to the small congregation more than 600 times in 13 years. He had officiated at roughly 50 funerals and baptized nearly 70 new believers.

Preaching from Philippians 1:3-5, he told members of the church he would look for each of them in heaven, as they were very special to him.

“You’ve seen my shortcomings and loved me anyway,” Hicks said. “None of us are perfect, but I want you to know that we love you, and God loves you, and he has something special for your life.”First Alliance Church in Lakeland, Florida, where Tom Hicks served as senior pastor before his retirement. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

First Alliance Church released a statement May 2 expressing shock and sadness at Hicks’ arrest.

“The news has been a surprise to us just as it has been to this community,” the church said. “This outrageous and horrible situation is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not what He, God, condones in our lives.”

Allegedly believed girl was 13

According to the Polk County sheriff’s arrest report, Hicks told detectives he has been married for more than 50 years but regularly visits websites advertising the services of sex workers, looking for “hookers” and “companions.”Former pastor Tom Hicks, pictured portraying Santa Claus at a community event, was later arrested and charged with attempting to solicit sex with a minor. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

Detectives said that on April 20 Hicks saw a website advertisement for a 15-year-old Lakeland girl. The “girl” was instead part of a sting operation — involving 12 law enforcement agencies — called “Polk Around and Find Out.” A photo of a county employee was manipulated and de-aged to look like a child. The phone number listed in the ad connected to a detective pretending to be a man prostituting his daughter for rent money.

“She’s not very experienced,” the detective texted back to Hicks, according to the arrest report. “She is 13 dude …. if that’s not for you please let me know.”

Hicks allegedly texted back:“Wow, I didn’t know she was so young! I liked her looks.”

Detectives reported that the retired pastor was worried this might be a sting operation and asked the “father” if he was with law enforcement. He said no, and asked Hicks if he was with law enforcement. Hicks allegedly texted a photo of himself touching his ear to prove he was who he said he was.

Worried about reputation

“You can trust me 100%,” Hicks wrote, according to the arrest report. “How much for 1 hour? … She looks like a real cutie.”

Hicks allegedly agreed to pay the man $200. He was arrested in the parking lot of an area business the following day, carrying two $100 bills. The phone in his hand had the same number as the phone that texted the detectives, according to the sheriff’s office.

Hicks confessed, detectives said, telling the deputies that he knew he shouldn’t be trying to have sex with a 13-year-old or even having sexual thoughts about her. He allegedly said he “kept coming back” because he “was intrigued.”

“Throughout the duration of the interview, the suspect remained calm,” detectives wrote, “and seemingly only showed an increase in emotion when prompted about his wife or his reputation.”

Hicks was charged with human trafficking of a victim under 18 and soliciting a person believed to be a guardian of a child 13 or under to engage in sexual conduct. He was also charged with using a vehicle, computer and phone “for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct.”

The sheriff’s office said it was the first time Hicks had ever been charged. He had no previous criminal history.

Warning to Easter Bunny

Law enforcement officers arrested 18 other men during the week-long sting operation. One allegedly said he’d served in the U. S. Marine Corps. Another had been in the Air Force. One man is accused of driving more than two hours, hoping to rape a child. Another, 27, reportedly told the undercover officer he was “definitely convinced” it was a sting operation, but showed up anyway with a box of condoms.

“You can’t fix these people,” the sheriff said in his press conference. “These are dangerous people.”

The sheriff said he hopes to make an example of these men and send them to prison for life.

“Anyone else that wants to hide behind Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny or any other child event to get to children, we’re coming after you,” he said. “If you’re the Easter Bunny, we’ll hop you right in prison to go with Santa Claus.”

Hicks is being held without bond. His next court appearance is scheduled May 26.

Daniel Silliman is senior reporter/editor at The Roys Report. He began his two decades in journalism covering crime in Atlanta and has since led major investigations into abuse and misconduct in Christian contexts. Daniel and his wife live in Johnson City, Tennessee.