(Marion County, FL) This morning, 40-year-old Matthew Hand was sentenced to 15 years in the Florida Department of Corrections for his traveling to meet a minor conviction.

Last month, jurors found Hand guilty after less than one hour of deliberating. Hand was found guilty of Traveling to Meet a Minor and Soliciting a Child for Unlawful Sexual Conduct.

“Despite the defendant being informed numerous times of this decoy’s age, he still wasn’t deterred,” said Walter Forgie, Fifth Judicial Circuit Chief Assistant State Attorney. “Hopefully, this substantial sentence will help him think about his decision.”

Hand was originally arrested back in December of 2023, following an Ocala Police Department (OPD) investigation.

During an undercover operation, OPD Officer Boyd posed as a 12-year-old female child on an online account. Hand messaged the decoy user and after repeatedly being informed of the minor’s age, engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the child.

Hand would later request to meet with the child to engage in sexual activities. Officials then coordinated a time and location to meet Hand, where he was promptly arrested.   

This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Shanae Pickens. Thank you to OPD Officer Boyd for developing this lead and Detective Blanton for extracting crucial evidence used during the trial.

Published on 12/20/2024.