A registered sex offender who was arrested during a multi-agency child sex sting in Ocala last year has been sentenced to life in federal prison.
On Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced the life sentence for 57-year-old Ocala resident Trevor Hedge, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber.
Earlier this year, a federal jury found Hedge guilty of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, as well as committing a felony offense involving a minor as a registered sex offender.
Hedge’s arrest stems from his involvement in “Operation Parental Advisory,” a joint undercover sting operation led by the Ocala Police Department in May 2025.
During the days-long operation, which ultimately resulted in the arrests of 20 men, law enforcement officers posed as minors on various chat applications to identify individuals attempting to sexually exploit children.
According to court records, Hedge messaged an undercover detective with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office who was posing as a neglected 13-year-old child. Prosecutors stated that after Hedge learned the decoy’s age, he proceeded to engage in a sexually explicit conversation.
While communicating online with the “child,” Hedge reportedly described his “addiction” to sexual activity with minors and explicitly told the detective that he was “grooming” her.
On May 22, 2025, Hedge arranged to meet the decoy to engage in sexual activity. When he arrived at the predetermined pickup location, he was immediately taken into custody by Ocala police and booked into Marion County Jail.
Court records show that Hedge is a registered sex offender who was previously convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a minor in 1993.
This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.