YORK, S.C. — Authorities say a convicted sex offender thought he was sending nude pictures through Instagram to a teen girl in Arizona — who turned out to be a police officer in Arkansas.
Twenty-seven-year-old Robert Michael Shipman is charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of attempted dissemination of pornography to a minor.
South Carolina Attorney General's Office spokesman Robert Kittle tells The Herald that Shipman contacted someone he thought was a 16-year-old girl through Instagram. He sent and received nude photos, but was actually corresponding with a police officer in Conway. A search of Shipman's electronics then yielded child pornography, authorities said.
Shipman was convicted of criminal sexual conduct against minors in 2012.
It's unclear whether he has a lawyer.