East SBV Times

On May 9, 2024, a resident of Hesperia, Thomas Patrick Hannett, was arrested on charges of sex crimes involving a minor. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Specialized Investigations Division, Crimes Against Children Detail, and the Specialized Enforcement Division (SED) had conducted an undercover chat operation on April 18, 2024.

During this operation, Hannett responded to a post made by an undercover detective from the Crimes Against Children Detail on an anonymous chat site. He initiated a conversation with the detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. Under the username “Nighthawk_760”, Hannett arranged to continue communication with the undercover persona outside of the original chat platform. During these interactions, he agreed to meet with the undercover persona for sexual acts.

Following the investigation's conclusion, Hannett was arrested and booked at the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto for violation of PC 288(c)(1) Lewd Acts with a Minor 14 or 15 Years Old, PC 288.3(a) Contacting a Minor for Lewd Purpose, and PC 288.4(a)(1) Arranging to Meet a Minor for the Purpose of Committing a Sex Crime. Currently held in custody, his bail is set at $500,000.

Detectives have released Hannett’s photograph as they believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Detective Wendy Winegar of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department at (909) 890-4904. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or leave information on their website at www.wetip.com.

The case number is listed as 602400033 and all further inquiries should be directed towards Detective Wendy Winegar or through official channels at the Specialized Investigations Division – Crimes Against Children Detail.