A Flora man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to charges involving an attempted sexual encounter with someone he believed was a minor.
45-year-old Andrew J. Staley pleaded guilty last Wednesday in Clay County Circuit Court to indecent solicitation of a child and grooming.
Staley was sentenced to seven years in prison on the solicitation charge and a concurrent four-year sentence for grooming.
Prosecutors said Staley attempted to arrange the sexual encounter through an online service. The investigation was conducted by Flora Police and Predator Poachers.
Following his release from prison, Staley will serve six months of mandatory supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.