A colonel with the Florida Air National Guard was found guilty on Tuesday of soliciting a minor for sex, according to authorities.
Col. Michael Shawn Garrett, a chief of combat operations for the 101st Air and Space Operations Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, was found guilty of solicitation along with traveling to meet a minor for sex, according to the Panama City Beach Police Department.
Garrett’s sentencing is set for Jan. 11, and he faces at least 10 years in prison, Lt. J.R. Talamantez told Air Force Times on Wednesday.
Garrett is on release with an ankle monitor until the sentencing date, Talamantez said.
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The colonel, who joined the Air Force in 1991 and served on active duty before joining the Guard, has been with the 101st Air and Space Operations Group since August 2015, according to Maj. Andrew Scott, a spokesman with the unit.
Garrett is still in the Air National Guard but is not a full-time employee, and the proper Air National Guard authorities will determine what happens to him, Scott said.
According to a May 15 Facebook post from the Panama City Beach Police Department, Garrett was arrested for allegedly soliciting sex online from a police officer who was posing as a 14-year-old boy.
In the post, police said Garrett “described in detail his sexual interest with the child and insisted on meeting in person” during his online conversations with the undercover officer. He drove to a location he believed was the child’s home and was arrested without incident, police said.
Charlsy is a Reporter and Engagement Manager for Military Times. Email her at cpanzino@militarytimes.com.
