FBI: Army sergeant who tried to meet young girls for sex arrested in a sting operation

A U.S. Army sergeant who showed up with cash, candy, condoms and lubricant for what he thought would be a sexual encounter with two girls, ages 12 and 14, was arrested Monday in Broward County, according to the FBI.

Alexis Kirk Torres, 26, was actually communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer and the arranged meeting was a sting, court records show.

During a brief appearance Tuesday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Torres told a judge that he and his family were in the process of transferring from Hawaii to a new assignment.

Torres has not yet indicated if he will fight the allegations that he solicited or enticed underage children to engage in a commercial sex act. He will remain locked up at least until a hearing on Tuesday when a judge will decide if he qualifies for bond.

Torres began communicating with the undercover officer in January when he replied to an “escorts” ad on Backpage.com, authorities said.

“The advertisement used language that is commonly associated with individuals seeking children for sexual purposes,” agents wrote in court records.

Agents said that Torres’ first email mistakenly asked, “Are you afflicted with law enforcement?”

Read More- Sun Sentinel 

Image courtesy of Getty