Thomas Patrick Hannett was arrested Thursday on suspicion of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, contacting a minor for lewd purposes, and arranging to meet a minor for sex, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department officials and booking records.
The arrest was the result of an online undercover sting conducted by the Sheriff's Specialized Investigation Division, Crime Against Children Detail, the sheriff's department said.
It began when Hannett allegedly responded to a post made by a Crimes Against Children Detail detective on an anonymous chat forum.
He used the screen name "Nighthawk_760" during some of his online conversations, authorities added.
"Hannett initiated a conversation with the detective, who acted as the persona of a 14-year-old girl," according to the statement. "During communication, Hannett agreed to meet with the undercover persona to engage in sexual acts."
Detectives believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information was urged to contact the Sheriff's Crimes Against Children Detail at (909) 890-4904. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to We Tip at (800) 782-7463.
Manly, Stewart & Finaldi has represented hundreds of children who were sexually assaulted by teachers in schools . We secured a settlement of $140 million on behalf of 81 child sexual abuse victims at Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles. This was the largest child sexual abuse settlement by a public school district in history. We are also the lead attorneys representing Olympic athletes and victims of former US Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team Doctor Larry Nassar and secured $890 million in settlements for our clients. In each of these cases we have helped victims and families get justice by conducting a thorough investigation of the organization and the school In many cases we have discovered that administrators and executives know that the perpetrator was a danger to children and either did nothing or actively covered up the crimes.
