Georgia Air Guard officer arrested in child sex sting

The FBI busted a child sex sting that involved a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a member of the Georgia Air National Guard.

Willie Newsom, 47, was placed on leave after he was arrested on Tuesday night at a hotel in Marietta, Georgia. Newsom is facing child exploitation charges for trying to meet a 14-year-old girl on a dating app, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The “teen girl” ended up being an undercover officer with the FBI Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force. An arrest warrant obtained by WSB-TV stated that the undercover officer “gave Newson the opportunity to stop communicating several times.”

Newson was one of eight people arrested at the Marrietta hotel within three hours. Local police said the other seven suspects taken into custody were pimps or prostitutes.

A Georgia Department of Defense spokeswoman Desiree Bamba said they’re aware of the situation involving Newsom but said local authorities should answer all questions regarding the incident.

Newson posted a $20,000 bail, according to jail records.

“Lieutenant Colonel Newson’s alleged actions do not reflect the values we uphold in the Georgia National Guard,” said Desiree Bamba of the Georgia Department of Defense.