Man Sentenced To 10 Years For Trying To Lure Teen Girl

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A 49-year-old man who tried to entice an underage girl online last year has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Jerry Wayne Hamilton Jr. of Sylacauga was arrested in October last year after using dating apps to meet up with what he thought was a 15-year-old girl.

Hamilton tried to meet up with the girl at Barnes and Noble in The Summit shopping center, and discovered that the "girl" he was trying to entice was actually a Mountain Brook police officer. He was arrested by Mountain Brook police and taken to Jefferson County Jail.

The communication took place between Oct. 13 and Oct. 21 via multiple dating apps. Hamilton pleaded guilty to the charge in May.

"This defendant deserves every day of his 120-month sentence in a federal prison because of his reprehensible acts," said U.S. Attorney Jay Town in a statement. "Our law enforcement will continue to vigilantly monitor the internet using every available method available to us to uncover predators like Hamilton who seek to prey on innocent children."

Hamilton was arrested in Talladega County in 2007 on charges that he engaged in deviate sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 12.