State trooper among 11 arrested in sex sting

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama state trooper was among those arrested in an undercover sting operation aimed at catching people who were intending to have sex with minors, law enforcement officials said Monday.

The Montgomery County sheriff’s office said in a Monday press conference that 11 men were arrested in the sting operation. Law enforcement officers said the men had communicated in chat rooms with a decoy they believed to be a minor and traveled to a hotel to have sex with the “minor.” They instead were met by law enforcement officers and arrested.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement Monday that Ryan Rhodes, a senior trooper, resigned Friday following his arrest. The sheriff’s office confirmed that Rhodes was among those arrested early Friday morning.

Rhodes, 26, was charged with electronic solicitation of a child, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and resisting arrest. Court records did not indicate if Rhodes has an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham said during the press conference that they are “sick and tired” of attempts to prey on young people.

“We are not going to allow you to do this to our young people. The message from us today is: No,” Cunningham said.