A Florida police officer has been charged with trying to get sexually explicit images of an underage girl, authorities said.
Margate police officer Andrew Hammock, 46, was arrested Tuesday and charged with soliciting visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Jacksonville. He faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
According to a criminal complaint, Hammock began using a social media application last month to communicate with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl but was actually an FBI agent. Hammock asked the fictitious child to send him pornographic images and expressed a desire to have sex with her.
Hammock was taken into custody at the Margate Police Department. Margate is located in Broward County, northwest of Fort Lauderdale.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Online court records didn't list an attorney for Hammock.
