“The men chatted with detectives they thought were boys or girls, ages 14 and 15,” police said.<\/p>\n
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 During “Operation Spooky Surprise,” the St. Pete Police Department says officers arrested and charged 4 individuals for allegedly traveling to meet a minor for sex.<\/p>\n
Detectives with the St. Pete police said Monday the operation took place over the weekend. They also said that as part of the operation, detectives “entered online chat rooms and websites used for human trafficking<\/a> and connecting with minors.”<\/p>\n Thomas Mill, 55, Mathias Padilla, 44, Tahquill Battle, 28, and Brandon Farrow, 32, all face multiple charges, like traveling to meet a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, for example.<\/p>\n Mill is also facing human trafficking charges, and Padilla was also charged with seduction of a child online, police said.<\/p>\n “The men chatted with detectives they thought were boys or girls, ages 14 and 15,” police said in a statement. “They agreed to meet for sex and drove to the designated location, where they were arrested.”<\/p>\n #StPetePD<\/a> arrests 4 men for traveling to meet a minor for sex. Over the weekend, detectives conducted Operation Spooky Surprise, where they entered online chat rooms and websites used for connecting with minors. The men chatted with detectives they thought were 14 and 15YO minors pic.twitter.com\/9BWMTCIpoY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 St. Pete Police (@StPetePD) October 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n