http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/man-arrested-child-sex-sting-sues-orange-county-sh/npGcY/
Posted: 8:48 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015
Man arrested in child sex sting sues Orange County Sheriff Office
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Kenneth Hochstein
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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
A man arrested in a child sex sting is suing the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on claims of entrapment.
Kenneth Hochstein’s attorney said deputies tried to entrap his client, who he said never had any intentions of meeting a 14-year-old girl.
After Hochstein’s arrest, he was not allowed to see his children and put on leave from his job as a federal corrections officer.
Sheriff’s Office video of the 2011 sex sting showed men who responded to a Craigslist ad which advertised a woman and her 14-year-old daughter for sex.
Hochstein inquired, saying he was interested only if the daughter was at least 18.
Attorney Patrick Megaro said Hochstein never intended to have sex with a minor.
“Every time the police suggested that he carry on any sort of sexual conduct with anyone under the age of 18, he specifically disavowed that,” Megaro said.
Megaro said once Hochstein showed up at the home to meet the woman, the undercover detectives told him it would be three of them and never mentioned the third was underage.
Hochstein was arrested, but a judge tossed out the charges a year later, saying the Sheriff’s Office failed to clearly communicate that there was a child involved.
“The way the police did this was using trickery and entrapping him,” Megaro said.
Hochstein was put on unpaid leave for a year during the investigation. The Department of Children and Families didn’t let him see his four children for two years.
He’s suing the Sheriff’s Office which he said severely tarnished his reputation.
“No matter how much evidence that proved this man did nothing wrong, people are going to look at him as a child molester,” Megaro said.
Hochstein has no criminal history on record on central Florida.
