Thomas Allen Hicks, 68, a white-bearded professional Santa and preacher of 40 years, allegedly responded to an online ad posted by an undercover detective pretending to be a parent offering sex with their 13-year-old daughter, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. The accused predator was busted after agreeing to pay $200 and explicitly describing the sex acts he wanted to perform on the child — and grossly promising to be “gentle,” the sheriff’s office said. He was charged with human trafficking, traveling to meet a minor, use of a computer to seduce a child, and use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.