Florida man held Georgia teenager as his ‘slave’ for four months, cops say

A 40-year-old Tampa man is behind bars after he allegedly held a 17-year-old Georgia girl against her will from November through February, sexually assaulting her and making her watch child pornography, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Thomas Hill faces multiple federal charges, including production of child pornography and enticement of a minor. More charges are likely, according to a WFLA report.

Hill was originally arrested in February on local charges, but was free on bail until Friday when federal authorities arrested him.

According to a filing in U.S. District Court, Hill met the unidentified female online in December of last year, offering to help her find a job and a place to stay. The female allegedly told Hill that her parents were planning to sell her. According to the complaint, that was not true.

Hill drove to Georgia to pick her up and returned to Florida, which surprised the girl from the onset because she believed Hill was in Georgia at the time the two conversed online.

The report states the girl told investigators Hill forced her to have sex with him under threat of violence and made her his “slave,” performing menial chores such as cleaning the dishes and doing the laundry.

Though details are limited, the case was blown open when Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Feb. 6 discovered the girl running down the street and crying near McLane Middle School.

According to the federal complaint, the girl was listed as missing in Georgia and deputies reported she was “scared” and “wanted to go home.”

The girl told authorities that, at first, Hill seemed normal, although it was apparent he had lied about his age. Then the sexual assaults started with Hill slapping her if she refused, and threatening additional violence. She told investigators that Hill forced her to watch about 25 child pornography films, including one involving an infant.

The complaint said the two exchanged more than 3,000 messages prior to Hill picking the girl up in Georgia.

The sheriff’s office initially filed charges, as well, but dropped those charges in lieu of the federal charges Hill now faces.

This story was originally published June 10, 2019 at 7:41 AM.