Case index

Takedown with Chris Hansen · Operation Child Protector IV

Timothy Wellman

Timothy Wellman was convicted following the Polk County investigation. He received three years and six months in prison.

Photo: To Catch a Predator Wiki

Outcome
Sentenced
Evidence
Attributed reporting
Jurisdiction
Polk County, Florida
Encounter
Not established
Decoy posed as
Girl11
Case number
2307848

Personal details

Born
August 21, 1987
Occupation
Mechanic · Military service member
Marital status
Divorced
Height
6′3″
Weight
264 lb
Hair
Brown
Eyes
Brown

Charges & sentence

2307848

  1. Attempted lewd or lascivious battery

    Convicted139

  2. Traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual conduct

    Convicted139

  3. Using a two-way communication device to commit a felony

    Unverified13

Sentence

Three years and six months in prison, with sex-offender registration required.

Attributed to the sources below. Consult the original record for full terms.

Case records

2307848Hansen investigation · 2024 · Sentenced
Case number
2307848

2307848

  1. Attempted lewd or lascivious battery

    Convicted139

  2. Traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual conduct

    Convicted139

  3. Using a two-way communication device to commit a felony

    Unverified13

Sentence · Jun 24, 2024

Three years and six months in prison, with sex-offender registration required.139

  • Prison: 3.5 years139
  • Registration: Term not established13

Reviewed sting-related legal outcome. Projected2027release is not actual release or current custody evidence. Official agency sentence history explicitly marks battery as attempted and supplies the June 24, 2024 sentence date. Existing reported 42-month total retained, not calculated from the repeated agency rows.

Sources 139

Case narrative

Biography

Wellman was in the military for eight years, ten months, and five days, serving in Fort Stewart, Fort Campbell, Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos), and in Liberia.

At the time, he had a three-year-old and a six-year-old. He also regularly used medicinal marijuana from Ohio.

Sting

Timothy Wellman drove around the block several times before deputies apprehended him at his vehicle. He was led into the sting house in handcuffs, greeted by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd saying, "Welcome to Polk County." During the drive to the sting house, Wellman had been on the phone with his two young children because he "wanted them to tell [him] good night."

Chris said that would be oral sex, to which Wellman agreed but said that wasn't his intention. He never fully explained what he meant.

Wellman stated that if the police had not been there, he likely would have only kissed the girl before realizing that it was wrong and then left. Chris expressed disbelief at the story, but Wellman quickly assured Chris that he would be willing to be hooked up to a "brain monitor" to prove it. He then admitted that he did not know if a "brain monitor" existed. When Chris asked why Wellman didn't just go to a bar to meet people, Wellman yelled, "Well, I've been going to the bars and the pool halls, and for some damn reason, everybody's scared of me!" Chris suggested that people might be scared of him because he drives around looking for fourteen-year-old girls, but Wellman shouted, "Noooooo!" Wellman explained that he showed up because he was a "dumbass." Chris responded, "You being a dumbass may be true. Be that as it may, it still doesn't explain the thought process in your mind..." Wellman also explained that he had been horny lately because he had not had sex since before the most recent hurricane, a few months prior.

His words to the world were that it is a myth that police have to tell you if they are law enforcement.

Aftermath

Using a Two-Way Communication Device to Commit a Felony Lewd or Lascivious Battery to a Victim, Age 12-16 Traveling to Meet Using a Computer to Lure a Child

Wellman was convicted of Traveling to Meet and Lewd or Lascivious Battery. He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and is required to register as a sex offender. His anticipated release date is March 23, 2027. Sheriff Judd noted that there are no Harley Davidsons to work on in prison.

Community-written, from the To Catch a Predator Wiki. Not independently verified, and it does not establish charges or court outcomes.

Timothy Wellman, To Catch a Predator Wiki contributors; see revision and history links. · CC-BY-SA

Media

  • S5 E10 · Sheriff Grady Judd welcomes Timothy to Polk CountyTruBlu · Original sting · TruBlu · Subscription
  • S10 E3 · AftermathTruBlu · Follow-up · TruBlu · Subscription
  • S5 E10 · Full Episode - Welcome to Polk County! - Takedown with Chris HansenYouTube · Original sting · TruBlu Streaming Network · Subscription
  • S5 E10 · Chris Hansen vs. Timothy - Takedown - Season 5, Episode 10YouTube · Original sting · TruBlu Streaming Network
  • S5 E10 · Chris Hansen Partial Episode - Takedown - Welcome to Polk County! - S5, E10YouTube · Original sting · TruBlu Streaming Network

Sources

  1. 1Timothy WellmanOriginal publisher · Chris Hansen / Hurrdat Media podcast · Published May 5, 2025 · Checked Oct 23, 2026The publisher's named episode discusses Timothy Wellman in connection with a Chris Hansen investigation. Its description identifies the Polk County investigation.
  2. 2Ep. 10 - Sheriff Grady Judd welcomes Timothy to Polk CountyOriginal publisher · TruBlu · Checked Oct 23, 2026Publisher catalog: Season 5, episode 10. Playback availability was not tested.
  3. 3Ep. 3 - AftermathOriginal publisher · TruBlu · Checked Oct 23, 2026Publisher catalog: Season 10, episode 3. Playback availability was not tested.
  4. 4Operation Child Protector IV arrest rosterPublic agency · Polk County Sheriff's Office · Published Oct 10, 2023 · Checked Oct 23, 2026The roster names Muniz, Wellman, Klisli, Da Silva, Walker and Cooley in the September 2023 operation.
  5. 5Timothy Wellman on MegaphoneOriginal publisher · Megaphone · Published May 5, 2025 · Checked Oct 23, 2026Public player title and enclosure code match the exact RSS episode.
  6. 6Full Episode - Welcome to Polk County! - Takedown with Chris HansenOriginal publisher · TruBlu Streaming Network · Checked Oct 23, 2026Official TruBlu YouTube upload. The public publisher listing or watch page marks this upload as members-only; subscriber playback was not tested. Metadata provides a media association only, not independent proof of legal allegations or outcomes.
  7. 7Chris Hansen vs. Timothy - Takedown - Season 5, Episode 10Original publisher · TruBlu Streaming Network · Checked Oct 23, 2026Official TruBlu YouTube catalog entry. Access and playback were not verified; the channel catalog establishes the upload title and video identity only. The person association uses the cited publisher episode metadata and named episode index; no legal facts are inferred.
  8. 8Chris Hansen Partial Episode - Takedown - Welcome to Polk County! - S5, E10Original publisher · TruBlu Streaming Network · Checked Oct 23, 2026Official TruBlu YouTube catalog entry. Access and playback were not verified; the channel catalog establishes the upload title and video identity only. The person association uses the cited publisher episode metadata and named episode index; no legal facts are inferred.
  9. 9Timothy Lee Wellman prison sentence historyPublic agency · Florida Department of Corrections · Checked Oct 23, 2026B62175 identifies Polk case 2307848, offense September 22, 2023 and sentence date June 24, 2024. Travel and attempted lewd-or-lascivious-battery rows each show three years and six months. Repeated terms are not added or treated as proof of concurrency.
  10. 10Timothy Wellman on SpotifyOriginal publisher · Spotify · Published May 5, 2025 · Checked Oct 23, 2026Public episode metadata matches the publisher RSS recording by title, release date and exact enclosure identifier. Additional platform for the existing exact podcast identity.
  11. 11Timothy Wellman (community wiki)Community wiki · unverified · To Catch a Predator Wiki contributors · Updated Apr 9, 2025 · Checked Oct 23, 2026Attributed community article. Revision date describes the article update, not a court or sting event. Full infobox, narrative sections, references and assets are retained in the private archive.
  12. 12Timothy Wellman: occupation informationCommunity wiki · unverified · To Catch a Predator Wiki contributors · Updated Apr 9, 2025 · Checked Oct 23, 2026The profile infobox lists these occupations. Undated roles do not establish current employment.
  13. 14Takedown with Chris Hansen episode listCommunity wiki · unverified · To Catch a Predator Wiki contributors · Updated Oct 22, 2026 · Checked Oct 23, 2026Episode-to-subject associations from season tables, revision 16419. Legal-status cells are not imported.

An on-camera appearance does not establish guilt. Charges, court outcomes, and reported information are kept distinct. Research standards

Record updated Oct 23, 2026 · Version 11 · Suggest a correction