Sexual Assault

Thomas Hicks, who first played Santa in the Lakeland Christmas Parade in 2017, was arrested in an undercover operation to identify individuals using the internet for the sexual exploitation of children.

The Manatee County School District has rolled out new mandatory training on boundaries, sexual harassment and abuse prevention and launched an audit of its hiring practices after a joint investigation by Suncoast Searchlight and the Bradenton Herald into repeated cases of staff misconduct toward students.

Over the past two years, Manatee County schools have been rocked by a string of teacher-misconduct cases. A joint investigation by Suncoast Searchlight and the Bradenton Herald found that red flags in applications were overlooked.

A circuit court judge in Florida has dismissed a lawsuit two women filed against former NFL kicker Brandon McManus and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Previously residents in south county would have to travel to North Tampa to access these services. Officials say the distance likely kept some from seeking help.

In a statement, the university said the changes were made "to ensure the information displayed is accurate and current."

The bills, which would require eight of 12 jurors to recommend death, conflict with longstanding decisions by the U.S. and Florida Supreme Courts that bar capital punishment in such cases.

The "rape loophole" bill would increase the penalty for raping a woman while intoxicated to a first-degree felony with up to a 30-year prison sentence, up from a second-degree felony and as many as 15 years in prison.

Leda Health provides services for college students who are victims of sexual assault at the University of South Florida, University of Tampa and two universities in Jacksonville.

A report that gathered data from 161 countries and areas paints a "horrifying picture," said WHO's director-general. And there's concern that the pandemic has made matters worse.

Following Guillen's killing, the Army launched an independent investigation into the climate of Fort Hood, but critics say the problems are systemic.

The newly introduced bill would make sexual harassment a crime under military law. The measure is a response to the killing of Fort Hood Army soldier Vanessa Guillen this summer.