Sarasota County man convicted following child sex abuse sting operation

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A Sarasota County man has been convicted on charges related to a child sex abuse sting operation.

Christopher Todd Hamilton, age 57, was convicted after jury trial of Traveling to Seduce a Child to Commit a Sex Act, Attempted Lewd or Lascivious Battery (Victim 12 or older, less than 16), and Solicitation for Prostitution.

Hamilton was arrested during Operation Intercept VI, an operation where suspects ranging in ages from 19-65 thought they were communicating with young male and female children after responding to ads on the Internet, but they were actually talking to undercover detectives.

The sheriff’s office worked with the Department of Homeland Security, DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office and North Port Police Department to take the suspects into custody. Several are still under continued investigation for other related and unrelated crimes.

Court documents say that Hamilton believed he was communicating with a 14-year-old boy. After learning the boy’s age, Hamilton then solicited him for sex.

The next day, the Defendant drove to the decoy’s home with the intent on committing a sexual act upon him, but was stopped and prevented by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.