Bad Excuses, Drunken Brawls, And Crocodile Tears: The Best Of Florida Man In 2018

Published December 23, 2018
Updated July 10, 2019

Florida Man Caught In Child Sex Sting Claims He Just Wanted To “See It In Action”

James Bowen

VCSO/FlickrJames Bowen

A barbershop owner from Gainesville, Fla. was arrested after he was caught in a sting operation intended to capture men looking to have sex with children.

James Bowen, 34, was caught alongside six other men. But what made Bowen’s arrest different from the others was his defense.

Upon police arrival, Bowen claimed that he knew that the operation had been set up and that he just wanted to see the sting in person.

Authorities said of Bowen that he “only came to the meeting place because he believed it was an undercover sting and he thought it would be cool to see it in action.”

The operation, dubbed “Operation Unlawful Attraction,” was conducted by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 14. Authorities announced the completion of the operation the following day and released this statement regarding Bowen:

“When 34-year-old James Bowen, co-owner of Bob’s Barber Shop in Gainesville, was arrested at a Racetrac station in Deltona, he told deputies he only came to the meeting place because he believed it was an undercover sting and he thought it would be cool to see it in action. His sexually charged chats and texts with an undercover detective he believed was a 14-year-old girl ensured that he got his wish.”

Watch as Operation Unlawful Attraction nabs seven men, including Florida man James Bowen.

What’s more, the Florida man was arrested while wearing a T-shirt that read “I would cuddle you so much harder.”

Police didn’t buy this defense and arrested Bowen on the spot. The sheriff’s office released footage of Bowen’s arrest, as well as those of the six other men, but Bowen’s alleged excuse for being involved in the operation wasn’t recorded.

Bowen was in custody at Volusia County jail in lieu of $40,000 bond. He was charged with use of a two-way communications device to commit a felony, attempted lewd and lascivious sexual battery of a child, traveling to meet a child after luring the child via computer, and for the use of a computer to lure a child.

All seven of the men arrested by Volusia police in the operation were charged with the same four crimes as Bowen.

author
Leah Silverman
author
A former associate editor for All That's Interesting, Leah Silverman holds a Master's in Fine Arts from Columbia University's Creative Writing Program and her work has appeared in Catapult, Town & Country, Women's Health, and Publishers Weekly.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.
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Silverman, Leah. "Bad Excuses, Drunken Brawls, And Crocodile Tears: The Best Of Florida Man In 2018." AllThatsInteresting.com, December 23, 2018, https://allthatsinteresting.com/florida-man-news-2018. Accessed January 31, 2025.