Evidence in case against Palmetto man finds sexual abuse of girls dates back to 2010
A Palmetto-area man charged with sexually abusing eight girls between the ages of 5 and 13 has been filming and molesting girls for at least 12 years, a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office investigation has found so far.
Christopher Thompson often preyed on children who came to his home to play with his children or at birthday parties, arrest reports have revealed.
Thompson, 44, was first arrested on April 25 after a 5-year-old girl told her parents and later detectives that he lured her from a birthday party, showed her home-made child pornography and then raped her.
Since his arrest, detectives have been combing through the child pornography collection that includes home-made child porn and self-made video voyeurism they found on Thompson’s electronic devices. Eight victims have been identified so far, and Thompson has already been arrested on charges connected to five.
“Christopher has a history going back to 2010 touching and filming young females,” Detective Bryan Lake noted in a probable case affidavit. “Several of his victims have been identified and were completely unaware of his actions.”
To date, Thompson is charged with one count of capital sexual battery, one count of exposing minors to harmful images, one count of production and possession of child pornography, one count of lewd and lascivious molestation against a child between ages of 12 and 16, one count of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child less than 12 years old, and two counts of video voyeurism on a child less than 16 years old.
If convicted as charged, Thompson would sentenced automatically to life in prison.
Thompson has been held without bond at the Manatee County jail since his initial arrest. He has been court-ordered not to have any contact with the victims, their parents, any children other than his own and only in a court setting, and forbidden from having access to the internet.
Abuse in his home
Several of the incidents Thompson has been charged with so far, took place in his home in the 7000 block of Water Mill Street in Palmetto when other children would go over to play with his children.
On Feb. 18, when two sisters spent the night at the Thompson home, he got into to bed with all the children while they were watching TV, their mother later told detectives. The 7-year-old girl told told her mother and later investigators that Thompson gave her the remote and then began to rub her buttocks over her underwear.
The mother called the sheriff’s office after her daughter told her.
Detectives recognized a photo as being from a similar time, midday Feb. 19, of a girl in blue underwear and Thompson’s genitalia. The mother identified her 8-year-old daughter when shown just the girl in the photo.
The other girl couldn’t provide any details because she had been unaware that Thompson had taken a video of her.
Just a week before, a 12-year-old girl had gone to Thompson’s home to play with his children. Unknown to her, Thompson had filmed her for his gratification.
Detectives spoke to one of Thompson neighbors who had several children and was able to identify the victim in the photo as her daughter. The girl told investigators that she often went to Thompson’s home to play, but said he had never touched her or made any inappropriate comments.
Child’s birthday party
One of the incidents of video voyeurism Thompson is charged with took place at one of his children’s birthday parties.
The 11-year-old victim attended the birthday party at Defy Bradenton, an indoor trampoline park, when Thompson used his cellphone to take video of the girl’s underwear, according to another probable cause affidavit.
“Due to other circumstances outlined in the investigation ... Christopher is taking these images for sexual gratification or arousal,” Lake noted in the report.
The images or photo show a silver table inside the party room at the trampoline park and the camera is pointed up the girl’s loose-fitting gray shorts. Like some of Thompson’s other victims, the girl did not realize what he had done.
Not all victims local
As detectives have continued working to identify girls who were sexually abused by Thompson, they have found some victims outside Manatee County. A 9-year-old girl was identified in one video taken in November 2021 in Marion County, sheriff’s office spokesman Randy Warren told the Bradenton Herald.
“The Marion County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of the incident and was provided evidence to investigate a capital sexual battery and production of child pornography,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that detectives are investigating the case but could not provide more details.
News of Thompson’s arrest also led to another victim being identified in Madison, Alabama. The 6-year-old told her parents after they had learned of his arrest. The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Thompson on a charge sexual abuse on a child under 12. Officials did not respond to a call for comment.
