"I Entertained It": The Vacation That Ended in a Florida Prison Cell

For 30 years, Derman Kenneth Thomas clocked in at a Georgia zipper plant. Clean record. Wife. Grown kid. Then one night in Ocala, Florida - bored in a motel off the interstate - he opened a hookup app. The girl said she was 14. She told him five times. He didn't log off. He asked where her parents were. Chris takes you inside the Marion County sting that put the 55-year-old face-down at midnight, surrounded by tasers and drawn guns just two hours after his first text. The chat logs. The "proof of life" photos. The phone call where Thomas said exactly what he wanted. The Motel 6 pickup plan. Then the interrogation, where Thomas reaches for every excuse in the playbook and keeps landing on one word: he "entertained" it. As if getting caught erases the intent. He turned down a plea deal, gambled on a jury, and lost: guilty on all counts. Ten years in Florida state prison. Plus: a record 58 arrests in six days, how hookup apps turned kids into a "shopping market.” Sponsored by: Home Title Lock: Go to https://hometitlelock.com/chrishansen and use promo code HANSEN to get a FREE title history report and a FREE TRIAL of their Triple Lock Protection! For details visit https://hometitlelock.com/warranty TruthFinder.com. To get the answers you’re looking for about the new people in your life, and to discover information on potential predators, go to www.TruthFinder.com/predators Have A Seat merchandise at https://haveaseat.dashery.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices