FORT SMITH -- A Harrison man was sentenced Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville on one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
Wayne King, 66, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole and 10 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks, according to the office of David Clay Fowlkes, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas
Special agents and officers with Homeland Security Investigations investigated a child exploitation operation in September 2019 during the Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally in Northwest Arkansas, according to King's plea agreement.
An undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl posted an advertisement on the website Craigslist. King responded to the advertisement, the agreement states, and the two corresponded through email and text messages over the next eight days.
On Sept. 25, King discussed details of what he would like to do with the undercover agent, including sexual activities, the agreement states. The two agreed to meet for a sexual encounter that day.
King was arrested when he approached the location, according to the agreement. A search revealed King had two cellphones and condoms. The undercover agent called the cellphone number of the person he had been communicating with, and King's cellphone began ringing.
King was indicted Nov. 20, 2019, court records show. He pleaded not guilty to the charge during his arraignment Dec. 23, 2019, but entered a guilty plea during a change of plea hearing April 21.