CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- A Cape Coral Police detective has been awarded the Officer of the Year award by the Southwest Florida Police Chief's Association for his work convicting a man of sex crimes on juveniles.
Detective Jason Hicks was presented the award by Sanibel Police Chief William Dalton.
Det. Hicks was nominated for the award back in February, for his work putting 32-year-old Romeo Sanchez behind bars for life.
Sanchez was sentenced in September for producing child pornography, enticing a minor to engage in sexual conduct, and possessing child pornography.
The case began back in 2017, when police received a tip that a female juvenile was sending inappropriate photos to Sanchez. Extensive investigation by Det. Hicks found Sanchez was using manipulative ways to convince two underage girls to send him sexually explicit photos to his cell phone.
Evidence gathered by Det. Hicks helped lead to a conviction of Sanchez on all seven federal charges.
