An Air Force colonel at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida was recently arrested for allegedly soliciting sex online from whom he believed to be a 14-year-old boy, but who turned out to be a police officer posing as one undercover.
Col. Michael Shawn Garrett, 44, was charged with traveling to meet a minor for sex, solicitation of a minor for sex and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, the Panama City Beach Police Department said in a Facebook post Monday. Garrett is currently being held at the Bay County Jail awaiting his first court appearance.
Garrett “described in detail his sexual interest with the child and insisted on meeting in person,” according to the post. “Garrett was taken into custody without incident after he drove to a predesignated location in which he believed was the child’s home.”
“The Air Force sets high standards for our people and we won’t tolerate [Airmen] who fall short of those standards. The Air Force is committed to the pursuit of justice. Any speculation at this point without having all of the details is not only unfair to the individuals involved but could affect the outcome of the investigation,” Tyndall spokesman Don Arias said in a released statement, according to My Panhandle.
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