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Timeline Of A Troubled Plant City Man

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Tribune research

Published: January 25, 2008

Gary Hicks Chronology

1994: First offense, attempted sexual battery of a 5-year-old boy.

1998: Investigation leads to the 1994 victim as well as another boy molested between the ages of 14 and 17. Charges are filed, then dropped in regard to an underage girl he later married.

1999: Hicks pleads guilty to attempted capital sexual battery of the 5-year-old and two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with the teenage boy. He's sentenced to two years community control and eight years probation.

June 2000: U.S. Department of Agriculture cites Hicks for operating a Brandon pet store, It's Alive, without a license. He agreed to a civil penalty of $8,500 which was suspended providing there were no future violations. The store has since closed.

April 2003: Hicks enters and completes sex offender treatment program.

January 2004: Hicks is charged with violating his probation on the 1999 charges by selling turtles and fish at the Westfield Brandon mall from a kiosk near stores frequented by children.

March 2004: Hicks begins serving a 12 1/2-year prison sentence for violating his probation on the 1999 charges.

December 2004: The 2nd District Count of Appeals overturns the sentence, saying his probation violation did not appear to be willful.

February 2005: Hicks is released from Calhoun Correctional Institution. He is required to register as a sexual predator.

March 2005: Hicks opens the Plant City pet store. Police advise residents in the neighborhood Hicks is a registered sexual predator. Community activists begin to picket the store. State Rep. Rich Glorioso sponsors legislation that prohibits child molesters from working or volunteering where children regularly congregate.

January 2006: The new takes effect, but is not retroactive to apply to Hicks.

January 2007: Hicks' probation is terminated three years early over the state's objection.

June 2007: Linda Penny files a lawsuit seeking payment for vet bills and other expenses incurred after her dog was injured while the pet was groomed at Hicks' store.

August 2007: Hillsborough County Animal Services issues Hicks a civil citation for animal cruelty in connection with the choking of another dog that was brought in for grooming.

September 2007: Hicks is charged with criminal animal cruelty related to injuries suffered by Penny's dog and the condition of an emaciated boxer kept at his home. Residents begin picketing the pet shop again.

October 2007: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials issue a warning to Hicks regarding a sick iguana and insufficient perch space for birds at the pet shop.

November 2007: Hicks sues Penny, claiming defamation.

December 2007: The state declines to prosecute Hicks on the September animal cruelty charges.

Dec. 31, 2007: Hicks is evicted from Pet City Center, 1103 N. Wheeler St., Plant City.

January 2008: He begins renovating a property at 1111 N. Wheeler St., which he has leased with an option to buy. He says he plans to open a drive-through pet grooming shop.

Jan. 9, 2008: County Judge Nick Nazaretian dismisses the charges of animal cruelty in connection with the choking of the Shih Tzu, Cooper, saying there was no way to determine who had caused the dog's injuries.

No charges are pending against Hicks. Under Florida law, Hicks is required to register as a sexual predator for the rest of his life.

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