What was supposed to be a routine hook up from Growlr, an adult gay dating app, turned into a nightmare for Brett Parson, a well-respected former police officer from Washington D.C. 

Parson met a 19-year-old man at Coconut Creek gas station. Or so he thought. It was only revealed later that the man was in fact a 16-year-old boy. The age of consent in Florida is 18.

Parson and the boy engaged in sexual activity in the car before attempting to drive elsewhere. The boy attracted the attention of the police and was later pulled over and confessed to the hook up.

“From the outset, it was our position that things weren’t as they appeared,” Parson’s attorney, Michael Dutko, told the Washington Post. “Brett Parson was not some predator in search of a child or young person. He did nothing but go onto an adult site looking for companionship.”

In court documents, the victim also stated he consented to the acts and never felt forced or threatened.

Those facts, however, are irrelevant in Florida. If you are over the age of 23 it is unlawful to have sex with a minor regardless of whether you’re ignorant of the minor’s age, or even if the minor lied about their age.

Parson, who was 53 at the time, was first arrested in February 2022 and charged with two counts of Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor. At the time, the parents of the boy wanted to press charges against him. Prosecutors recently dropped the charges against Parson because the victim was no longer willing to cooperate.

The victim’s parents had wanted to proceed with the trial, but not if it meant their son having to recount the experience on the witness stand.

“This is a case that failed because the victim refused to prosecute. However, it should serve as a warning to anyone using dating apps that the people you meet may not be what they first appear to be. Just because someone’s profile says they are an adult, that may not necessarily be the case,” said Russell Cormican, a criminal defense attorney in Fort Lauderdale. “Failing to take precautions to verify the age of the person you are talking to could lead to criminal charges or extortion attempts. Mr. Parson ultimately prevailed in his case, but it certainly came at a price. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in this circumstance.”

Before he retired, Parson served as a supervisor in the D.C. police department’s LGBT liaison unit.