Woman Arrested For Posing As DCF Worker In Alleged Abduction
Black Florida Woman Accused Of Posing As Caseworker To Kidnap 9-Year-Old
Florida authorities have arrested 56-year-old Nicole Terry Thomas in connection with an alleged attempt to abduct a child from a home in Lakeland, Florida, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began when officers responded to a 911 call from Thomas, who requested assistance for what she claimed was “the removal of children from a home.” However, as investigators spoke to witnesses, they reportedly uncovered discrepancies in Thomas’s version of events.
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According to an excerpt from the arrest affidavit, Thomas arrived at the residence of 28-year-old Nyasia Brooks, where she was babysitting four children. She arrived with the biological mother of one of the children, who is not facing charges currently. Brooks was informed by the 9-year-old child (referred to as VICTIM in the affidavit)that his mother and someone from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) had arrived to take him.
Nicole Terry Thomas presented herself as a DCF worker and allegedly threatened to take the children Brooks was watching.
Thomas allegedly presented herself as a DCF caseworker, claiming she was there to transport the child to his biological mother. When Brooks refused to allow the child to leave, Thomas reportedly threatened to take the other children in her care instead, the sheriff’s office said.
“Nyasia advised once she told Ms. Thomas she was not taking (VICTIM) anywhere, she then threatened Nyasia stating she was going to remove all of the children from the home,” the affidavit reads. “Ms. Thomas proceeded to the end of the driveway and made a phone call in which she said she would be working late to find homes for all the children she planned to remove from the residence at (REDACTED).”
Despite claiming to be a DCF worker, Thomas failed to provide any official identification to substantiate her role.
“Nyasia also instructed Ms. Thomas several times to leave the property, but she refused and called 911. The following children were inside the residence: (VICTIM 2), (VICTIM 3), and (VICTIM 4),” the affidavit continues.
Reports indicate the boy’s biological mother has mental disabilities and does not have custody of her son. In an interview with detectives, she revealed that she knew Nicole Thomas through their church, where Thomas allegedly claimed to work for DCF and promised to help her regain custody of her child, the press release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office noted.
In a statement, Sheriff Grady Judd remarked, “In what was probably the only smart thing she said or did that afternoon, Nicole Thomas admitted to detectives that she should have known better. She impersonated a government employee, threatened to take four children, and even called 911 to try to get a deputy to help her pull it all off. I’d say she didn’t clearly think that one through.”
Nicole Terry Thomas has a criminal history.
Thomas has a criminal record that includes charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery, child abuse, multiple fraud offenses, theft, and dealing in stolen property.
At her first appearance hearing on Feb. 15, 2026, a judge set her attempted kidnapping charges at “No Bond.” Her pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 19, 2026.
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