A Marion County jury deliberated for less than hour before finding an Ocala man guilty of traveling to meet a 12-year-old girl for sex.
On Thursday, November 21, jurors found 40-year-old Matthew Hand guilty of traveling to meet a minor and soliciting a child for unlawful conduct. He had been arrested in December of 2023 following an investigation led by the Ocala Police Department.
According to court records, an undercover OPD officer posed as a 12-year-old girl on an online account during an undercover operation conducted in 2023. Hand messaged the undercover officer on the social media platform Kik while believing that he was communicating directly with the minor.
After being repeatedly told that the girl was 12 years old, Hand proceeded to engage in sexually explicit conversations with the minor.
An OPD officer noted in the arrest report that during the back-and-forth messaging, Hand asked the minor if she was “good” at performing oral sex. He also discussed “French kissing and making out and cuddling,” as well as having sex with her.
At one point in the conversation, the undercover officer posing as the 12-year-old asked if Hand was “okay with my age.” Hand replied by saying “[I’m] scared, but okay.”
As the messages continued, Hand eventually requested to meet the minor in person to engage in sexual activities. OPD officers then coordinated a time to meet Hand, and he was promptly placed under arrest after arriving at the agreed-upon location in Ocala.
During an interview with investigators after being read his Miranda rights, Hand claimed that he was “talking to an acquaintance” on the social media platform Kik. The arrest report stated that he admitted to knowing the girl he was messaging was 12 years old, and he further admitted to engaging in sexually explicit conversation and traveling to meet the minor.
“There is nothing more vile than those who seek to exploit and harm our children,” said Walter Forgie, Fifth Judicial Circuit Chief Assistant State Attorney. “It’s not only morally reprehensible but it’s illegal and carries hefty consequences.”
Court records show that a sentencing hearing for Hand is scheduled to take place at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 20.