Harris County PD
A Wisconsin father was sentenced to serve 60 years in prison for attempting to sell his 4-year-old daughter for sex online, the Harris County District Attorney’s office confirms to PEOPLE.
Andrew Turley, 30, was sentenced in Harris County, Texas on Friday after being convicted for trafficking of a child and compelling prostitution of someone under the age of 18, Harris County District Attorney Kim K. Ogg wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
According to the statement, Harris County prosecutors said Turley was caught after an undercover Houston police officer contacted Turley about an ad the 30-year-old placed on Craiglist in 2015 titled “Play with Daddie’s [sic] Little Girl.”
Over a lengthy e-mail correspondence, which according to prosecutors amounted to almost 70 messages, Turley told the undercover police officer that a two hour session with the girl, who was described as being “younger than 10” would cost $1,000.
In the e-mails Turley also claimed he would give the child “sleeping meds” during the encounter, according to the statement.
After almost 70 emails, the officer and Turley arranged a time for the encounter in Houston, where according to the statement, Turley’s daughter lived with her mother.
Prosecutor Ann Johnson told WWLP that when officers arrived at the mother’s house they discovered “a 4-year-old child who appears to be under the influence or in a groggy state, also appeared to be unclothed under the blanket.”
After the undercover officer arrived on the scene and saw the child, according to the statement, Turley was arrested. ABC13 reported that the girl’s mother did not know about Turley’s plan.
Turley was given a sentence of 30 years for each of his 2 charges, both of which must be served consecutively, according to the Harris County District Attorney.
“This case broke my heart. A father is supposed to be a protector not a predator,” Harris County Assistant District Attorney Stewanna Miskell said in the statement obtained by PEOPLE. “Jurors saw the need to keep him out of our community.”
Turley will be eligible for parole after serving 45 years in prison.
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.
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