A Douglas County man was sentenced to seven years in prison this week for traveling to Florida with his two children to bring home who he thought was a 13-year-old girl.
After Gregory Paul Lawrence, 33, met who he thought was a 13-year-old girl through a chat room, he began talking and texting with her through a cell phone, The Daily Commercial in Leesburg, Fla., reported. Lawrence, of Douglasville, allegedly sent the undercover detectives nude photos of himself, as well as instructions on how to engage in a sex act, according to the report.
When he traveled to pick up the "girl," he brought along his own two kids because he didn't have a babysitter, Lawrence admitted to police in a June arrest affidavit obtained by the newspaper. The ages of Lawrence's children were not included in the report. Lawrence was arrested on his way to a home in Clermont, Fla., and booked into the Lake County jail.
Lawrence was sentenced Monday as part of a plea deal, according to the report.
Lawrence's arrest was part of a sting operation by police in the Florida county, leading to the arrests of 32 men who believed they were going to a home for sex and instead were met by law enforcement.
Address records show Lawrence previously lived on the U.S. Army base at Fort Benning.
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