A Deerfield Beach man's alleged plot to abuse a child when he mistakenly propositioned an undercover detective, officials said. Thomas William Dempsey, 38, faces two felony charges after authorities claim he sought to sexually abuse a 7-year-old girl, offering $60 for the act.
According to the Local 10 News release, during an undercover operation conducted through the messaging app Kik, Dempsey gave his phone number to the detective, believing they were a go-between who would facilitate the encounter. Broward County deputies informed the press of Dempsey's alleged intent to perform the act in a Tamarac hotel room, but instead he was caught in a sting operation linking the Broward Sheriff’s Office with the Owatonna, Minnesota Police Department in a grim ballet of deception and law enforcement diligence.
The arrest was the culmination of a coordinated effort between Broward Sheriff’s Office South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Minnesota-based detective. The Owatonna Police Department initially alerted Florida authorities to Dempsey's activities on February 23, igniting the investigation that eventually led to his arrest. The BocaNewsNow report detailed that once Dempsey offered his number to the undercover, the officers quickly moved to secure an arrest warrant.
Investigators, masquerading as willing accomplices , engaged in correspondence with Dempsey, who reportedly said he was a "good tipper" and promised payment for the hotel, his presumption bore the scent of confidence the audacity to express such things to the shadow on the other side of the screen concealed the badge of justice. Upon executing the warrant on February 29, Dempsey was taken into custody near Deerfield Park Elementary School and faces charges including solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual conduct and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, meanwhile he sits in BSO Main Jail, his freedom forfeited for now by a bond set at $27,500.
BSO spokesperson Gerdy St. Louis remarked on the vigilance required in such cases, saying, according to BocaNewsNow, "During the online operation, Dempsey provided the undercover OPD detective his cellphone number and asked the undercover OPD detective to share it with a woman, who he believed would allow him to participate in a sexual act with a minor," highlighting the sinister nature of the crime. Dempsey, now detained.
