March 12, 2025
On March 11th our School Resource Deputy (not named) was made aware a student was caught using their cell phone during school. The phone was taken from the student and school staff members discovered the student was using SnapChat to communicate with another person. The content of the conversation was sexually charged. The School Resource Deputy reviewed the SnapChat messages and saw where the other party identified themselves as a 46 year old man.
Our School Resource Deputy contacted Corporal Mike McNeil with the Criminal Investigations Division and asked him to investigate this incident further. Corporal McNeil used multiple investigative techniques to identify the owner of the SnapChat profile. This profile owner was found to be in the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections as a sentenced inmate (15 year sentence) and therefore excluded as a viable suspect.
The investigation gained momentum when Corporal McNeil was able to identify the location of the device sending these chat messages was in Chiefland. Detectives converged on this location and found Todd Joseph “TJ” Thompson (7/17/78) inside of a derelict truck parked at the back of a property in the Manatee Farms subdivision. Thompson did not immediately exit the vehicle when ordered and began making suspicious movements. Detectives feared he was destroying evidence and quickly removed him from the vehicle.
Thompson was convicted of 1st Degree Sexual Assault in Arkansas in 2004 and designated as a sexual offender. He moved to Florida and registered as a sex offender with the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office as required by Florida law. In 2024 Thompson failed to register and fled Gilchrist County. A warrant for his arrest was issued shortly after he absconded. Thompson has been evading capture since the warrant was issued.
Detectives learned Thompson used an internet name belonging to someone else to conceal his online identity. He purchased a cell phone from an unidentified person on the street. This phone allowed Thompson unfettered access to the internet and access to this incarcerated individuals social media profiles, including SnapChat. He used this phone and SnapChat profile to begin chatting with the student.
The investigation is still on-going and detectives believe other victims may be discovered. We are asking anyone who has information on Thompson and his on-line activity to contact Corporal Mike McNeil at 352-486-5111 ext. 240.
Thompson was arrested and has been booked into the Levy County Detention Facility. He has been charged with the following crimes. His bond has been set at $1.3 million dollars on these newest charges. The bond assigned to the warrant for absconding from Gilchrist County is set at $300,000.00.
F.S.S. 847.0135 (3a) – Obscene Communication Use of a Electronic Device to Seduce or Solicit a Child
F.S.S. 847.0138 (2) – Transmission of Harmful Material to a Child
F.S.S. 934.215 – Use of a Two Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony
F.S.S. 893.13 (6a) – Possession of a Controlled Substance
F.S.S. 943.0435 (9a) – Sex Offender Fail to Comply with Registration
F.S.S. 943.0435 (4e1 – Sex Offender Fail to Register Internet Identifier (SnapChat)
F.S.S. 943.0435 (4)(E)2 – Sex Offender Fail to Register Phone Number Change
“We are all too familiar with sexual predators and how they exploit the internet to find new victims. This is a classic example of how quickly our children can become the victim of a heinous crime at the hands of a sexual predator. Thompson thought he was hiding his identity by using a phone belonging to a state inmate. Thankfully the quick thinking of our Levy County school officials and my School Resource Deputy we were able to protect this child. Words cannot explain how proud I am of all involved in this case, most especially our Detectives, who worked feverously to locate and apprehend this dangerous criminal and put him exactly where he belongs, in jail,” said Sheriff McCallum.