A former Rockwood Police Department detective has been sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor following an undercover sting operation.

Charles Andrew Crothers, 39, of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, received the more than 12-year prison sentence on Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan. Upon his release, Crothers will face lifetime supervised release, special sex offender conditions, and a mandatory requirement to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, investigators with the Blount County (Alabama) Sheriff’s Office were conducting an undercover operation on chat websites when Crothers initiated contact. An undercover officer, posing as a 15-year-old girl, provided Crothers with a phone number.

During their text exchanges, Crothers requested nude photographs and engaged in sexually explicit conversations. The investigation took a critical turn when Crothers sent explicit photos of himself to the undercover account. Through those images—and previously sent photos displaying his face—investigators identified Crothers as an active detective with the Rockwood Police Department.

Crothers subsequently pled guilty to one count of attempted enticement of a child.

The announcement of the sentencing was made by U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee. The conviction was the result of a joint investigation by the FBI, led by Special Agent Jordan Foreman, and the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kolman prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by mobilizing federal, state, and local law enforcement resources.