FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Broward Sheriff's Office deputy has been arrested after he engaged in sexual conversations with a teenage girl and sought to lure her to a hotel room for sex, Sheriff Gregory Tony said Tuesday.
Deputy Jemiah Thomas, 35, was arrested Tuesday. He faces charges of solicitation of a minor, transmission of material harmful to minors, traveling to meet a minor, and attempted lewd and lascivious written solicitation of certain minors.
Tony said Thomas met the 17-year-old girl during a domestic violence call in Pompano Beach last month. He said Thomas provided the girl with his personal cellphone number and began communicating with her.
Once the girl's father found out, he made a complaint to the BSO, which launched an internal investigation, Tony said.
Over the course of nine days, Thomas engaged in text conversations with an undercover detective whom he thought was the girl, Tony said. During those conversations, Thomas said he wanted to meet with her and perform sex acts on her. Thomas is also accused of sending a photo of his private parts.
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During a conversation Sunday, Thomas suggested renting a hotel room for them to meet for the purposes of engaging in sexual activity, Tony said.
Thomas showed up the next day and told her he was waiting for her, but the undercover detective canceled the meeting, Tony said.
"The arrest of Deputy Jemiah Thomas on these charges is deeply disturbing," Tony said. "One of the most important obligations that law enforcement officers have is to protect our greatest resource, our kids. If these allegations are true, Deputy Thomas broke that trust."
Thomas has been employed by the BSO since 2017. He has been placed on administrative leave without pay.
"I have made a commitment to transparency and accountability in this organization, and this case shows, once again, that we will hold our employees accountable," Tony said.
Broward County jail records show that Thomas was being held without bond at the main jail.
