ROCK SPRINGS — According to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office a man was arrested in Rock Springs on Monday as the result of a multi-agency undercover sting operation.

The suspect, whom authorities declined to identify due to legal constraints, is charged with Solicitation to Commit Human Trafficking in the First Degree, Attempt to Commit Human Trafficking in the First Degree, Attempt to Commit Sexual Servitude of a Minor, and Attempt to Commit Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Second Degree.

Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell said county detectives launched their investigation when they received information the suspect was soliciting sex with a child.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office and the Rock Springs Police Department and DCI special agents set up the sting over the course of the weekend. When he approached an undercover female detective near his home, the man was arrested after a brief struggle.

As of press time, the suspect remains in custody at the Sweetwater County Detention Center in lieu of bond.

The charges are all felonies. Solicitation to Commit Human Trafficking in the First Degree and Attempt to Commit Human Trafficking in the First Degree each carries a maximum possible penalty of not less than 25 nor more than 50 years of imprisonment, Attempt to Commit Sexual Servitude of a Minor is punishable by imprisonment of not more than five years, and Attempt to Commit Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Second Degree carries a maximum possible penalty of not more than 20 years of imprisonment.

Lowell said the Sheriff’s Office’s investigation continues.