ROCKVILLE, Md. -- A Montgomery County firefighter was nabbed in an online sex-sting operation after he responded to a Craigslist ad for sex with a minor, police said.
Police arrested Wayne Mothershead on charges that he solicited sex from a police officer posing online as a 16-year-old girl.
Mothershead, 44, was arrested on July 20 after arranging to meet the girl in a shopping center and pay $150 for sex. He has been released on $100,000 bond and placed on administrative leave with pay.
Police said Mothershead used his county e-mail address to begin contact with someone who had posted on Craigslist, unknowingly contacting two undercover officers.
Mothershead's attorney, Rebecca Nitkin, gave the following statement:
"In his 22 years of service to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, Lieutenant Mothershead has gained the highest respect from his colleagues, and has established a great reputation." "In the last six months, I have seen an increase in what I consider to be questionable prosecutions involving ads placed in the Adult Erotica section of Craigslist."
Police said this arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into the online prostitution of minors. More than 20 arrests have been made so far during the investigation.
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Mothershead's lawyer told The Washington Post that she believes there is not enough evidence to prove the charges.
