BROWNSBURG, Ind. -- A Brownsburg man was sentenced to four years in prison after he was convicted soliciting a child for sex and possessing methamphetamine.
On Thursday, Benjamin McCartney was convicted of child solicitation, a Level 4 felony, and possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony. McCartney was sentenced to four years in prison and two years of probation.
McCartney was one of 32 individuals who were arrested in April 2023 in a child sex sting. According to previous reports, the sting was operated by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, the Franklin Police Department and the Edinburgh Police Department.
According to a news release from the Johnson County Prosecutor's Office, McCartney solicited whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual acts.
“I commend the hard work of our law enforcement officers in ferreting out these depraved individuals who attempt to have sex with children,” Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said in the release. "I hope the years that this defendant serves in prison will serve as a warning to others with these perverted proclivities. The message we’re sending is this: If you don’t stay away from children you’re going to spend years in a steel cage. Don’t even think about it,”