Cyber Safety
Learn about the risks of and tactics used by online predators as well as what constitutes a cyber crime and how to report it
Learn how to identify potential threats that could endanger your child as well as important tips and safety measures
Information about protecting yourself while surfing the internet, safeguarding personal information and avoiding potentially dangerous situations
Learn how to protect yourself online while playing games, surfing the internet and having fun
Contact Us
| address: |
Attorney General of Florida The Capitol, PL-01 Tallahassee, FL 32399 |
| phone: | (850) 414-3300 |
| website: | www.myfloridalegal.com |
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| news: | Weekly Newsletter |
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Press Releases
Attorney General Charlie Crist Press Release
Printer FriendlyMan Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Using Internet to Prey Upon Child
TALLAHASSEE - Attorney General Charlie Crist announced that an Orange County man was sentenced today to 20 years in state prison and was designated as a sex offender after traveling to Polk County to meet a young boy for a pre-arranged liaison. Walter Hammel, who was convicted last month of 15 counts of using a computer to prey upon a child over the internet, was unaware that the person with whom he communicated over the internet was actually an undercover law enforcement officer.
In addition to the prison term, Hammel, 52, was also sentenced to 10 years probation. The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution, which has specific jurisdiction to prosecute cases involving section 847.0135(3), Use of a Computer to Seduce a Child over the Internet. The case was tried in Polk County.
"Prison is where these predators belong," said Crist. "I commend Circuit Judge Harvey Kornstein for taking this crime seriously and protecting Florida's children from this sex offender's potential future acts."
The case began in October 2003 when an officer, working with a Central Florida task force on internet crimes against children, monitored an internet chatroom. Hammel struck up an online conversation with the agent, who he believed was a 13-year-old boy named "Larry." Over a period of time, Hammel attempted to lure "Larry" to his home in Orange County, and at one point sent pornographic images of young boys. After a month of online conversations, Hammel traveled to a Wal-Mart in Haines City intending to pick up "Larry" and take him to his home in Winter Garden. Hammel was arrested when he approached a decoy arranged by agents.
Among the agencies involved in the joint investigation were the Polk County Sheriff's Department and the Eagle Lake Police Department.