A Florida man is facing federal charges for allegedly keeping a 17-year-old girl from Georgia as a sex slave, sexually assaulting her, and forcing her to watch child pornography.
Thomas Hill, 40, reportedly met the victim online in December and took her out of state without her parents’ knowledge. The pair chatted for several weeks before meeting in person—with the girl lying about her parents planning to sell her and Hill offering a place to stay and help getting her a job, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The teen reportedly claimed she believed Hill lived in Georgia and didn’t know his actual age until he took her to Florida. She told authorities that the first few days at Hill’s Brandon home were normal until he started forcing her to do chores and sexually assaulting her, slapping her if she refused, the news outlet reported.
The victim, who was reported missing at one point, alleged Hill made her watch approximately 25 child pornography videos—including one involving an infant. She also recounted how Hill took nude photos of her using his cell phone.
Hillsborough County police arrested Hill on February 6 after spotting the missing teen crying and running down a street, according to WFLA. WFTS reported that Hill admitted that he was aware of the girl’s age but claimed he took her out of state to “rescue” her and that she was “living with him.”
A search of Hill’s electronic devices uncovered that the pair exchanged more than 3,000 messages since November. In those messages, Hill expressed his love for the girl, who called him “master,” according to the Times.
Free on bail since February, Hill was rearrested Friday as state officials dropped their charges and federal authorities filed enticement of a minor and production of child pornography charges against him.
[Featured image: Thomas Hill/Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office]
