(WSIL) -- A federal jury convicted a registered sex offender Friday of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dustin R. Stone, age 29, of Greenville, Kentucky, was arrested on November 21, 2018, when he traveled to Paducah with the intent of having sex with a 13-year-old female he believed he was communicating with.
Stone was in fact communicating with with undercover detectives with the Paducah Police Department. Stone sent sexually explicit text messages to the investigators and further solicited the encounter through a series of phone calls with an undercover female detective.
The jury found Stone guilty of Attempted Enticement and Commission of a Felony Involving a Minor by a Person Required to Register as a Sex Offender.
“Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leigh Ann Dycus and Raymond McGee did an outstanding job during the trial of this case,â€� stated Acting U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett. The investigation and prosecution of those who wish to sexually exploit and abuse our children is a high priority of this office. I commend the Paducah Police Department for their outstanding investigatory work which resulted in the successful prosecution of Mr. Stone, a previously convicted sex offender.â€Â Â�
“I’m thankful for and appreciative of the hard work of the Paducah Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit for ensuring this predator is off the streets of Paducah and other communities,� said Paducah Police Chief Brian G. Laird. “Through our work and cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s office, Stone was successfully prosecuted and convicted, and will not present a danger to our children for at least the next 20 years.�
Sentencing is scheduled for December 9, 2021.
The General Investigations Unit of the Paducah Police Department is investigating the case.
