A former Florida Department of Children and Families investigator was arrested Friday for soliciting sexual favors from a New Smyrna Beach woman in exchange for using his own urine for her drug screening.
Andrew Thomas, 32, was taken into custody at his current home in Pennsylvania on a warrant charging him with bribery by a public servant, official misconduct, and falsifying records.
Thomas visited the 22-year-old victim the morning of May 8 at her home near New Smyrna Beach. The woman told Volusia County Sheriff's investigators that Thomas told her he needed a urine sample for a drug test so that he could then close her DCF case. The woman complied. Thomas immediately tested the sample and claimed that it was positive for drugs. This led to a conversation about how bad the test results would look for the victim.
The woman told investigators that Thomas started pressuring her to have sex with him in exchange for a clean urine sample.
The victim notified Thomas' supervisors at DCF. When then informed Thomas that a complaint about him, they said Thomas submitted a letter of resignation, stating that he was moving to Pennsylvania to be near family.
Investigators obtained the arrest warrant signed by circuit court judge Frank Marriott on Thursday. He was booked into the Cumberland County Prison in Pennsylvania where he will await extradition back to Volusia County.
It is believed that Thomas may have victimized others in a similar manner. Anyone with information about additional such encounters is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at (386) 423-3301 or (386) 423-3888.
