A former corrections officer from Sterling, Colorado was nabbed by an internet sting operation set up by Jefferson County sheriff in Golden. The man was formerly a guard at the Sterling Correctional Facility. Even though this sting operation occurred in Jefferson County, district attorneys' offices in Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Larimer, and Weld County conduct their own investigations into internet luring of children or minors all the time.

Investigators had been communicating with the man for a few weeks while he corresponded with someone he believed was a minor teenage girl. He sent graphic pictures and requested pictures in return. When the man drove down to the arranged meeting place for sex with the underage girl, he was surprised to find that the teen girl was in reality a Jefferson County District Attorney investigator working undercover in a sting operation. Instead of the more serious charges like Enticement of a Child (CRS 18-3-305), Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child (CRS 18-3-405.4), or Internet Luring of a Child (CRS 18-3-306), he instead plead guilty to Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child, which is a class 5 felony. He will have to serve three years of Intensive Supervised Sex Offender Probation.

This man, who is now familiar with tactics which police in Golden, Castle Rock, and Littleton use in sting operations, got caught and narrowly avoided prison time. He faced the irony of having to be the one guarded instead of the one guarding.

If you are contacted by police or find yourself involved in a sting operation, be aware of all your options. Sting operations are set up by police to catch people trying to have sexually explicit conversations or exchange pictures. Police pose as minors or juveniles online and lure people into a sexual conversation. Colorado Entrapment is a valuable defense in cases involving sting operations. Be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the O'Malley Law Office at 303-830-0880. Together, we can protect your future.