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Man accused of soliciting undercover officer who posed as 14-year-old girl

Leo Thomas, 56, arrested after agreeing to meet at park
West Palm Beach police whistleblower fired; lawsuit still pending
Posted at 12:55 PM, Feb 27, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-27 12:55:35-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A North Palm Beach man is accused of having sexually explicit conversations with an undercover police officer who pretended to be a young girl.

According to West Palm Beach police, Leo Thomas, 56, made contact with the undercover officer through a phone application called "Meet me."

The officer, who works with the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children task force, told Thomas she was 14 years old.

Police said Thomas sent the officer two photos of himself and had a sexually explicit conversations with the undercover officer through text messages and a phone call.

Thomas agreed to meet the undercover officer Jan. 26 at a public park.

When he arrived at the park, undercover agents arrested him.

Leo David Thomas is facing two counts of solicitation of a minor, one count of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony and one count of traveling to meet a minor.

Thomas was taken to the main Palm Beach County jail.