A cop sent a photo of his genitals to an FBI agent posing as a teen girl, cops say
A 17-year veteran of the Margate Police Department faces federal charges after exchanging graphic photos with a teenage girl, court documents show.
FBI agents arrested Officer Andrew Hammock, 46, on Tuesday and charged him with soliciting sexually explicit images from a minor, according to Margate police.
Federal authorities began investigating Hammock, who has been with the police force since 2002, in mid-February. An undercover agent had spotted the officer’s post on an app that’s often used to find individuals for in-person sexual encounters.
Posing as 14-year-old girl, the agent talked with Hammock for roughly a month. Most of their conversations included three elements: various allusions to sexual activity, the officer admitting he was aroused and the undercover agent repeatedly emphasizing the age difference.
“Let’s not make age an issue. I think you’re hot,” Hammock once wrote, according to the criminal complaint.
Hammock sent pictures of his genitals and also repeatedly asked for nudes despite admitting he was married, the complaint says.
Hammock was placed on administrative leave without pay, the department says. Jail records show that he’s being held at the Main Jail in Broward County.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida will prosecute his case.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 7:48 PM.
