CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – A former U.S. Navy officer has pleaded guilty to an attempted child pornography production charge after he was arrested in a child exploitation sting back in December.

Christopher Paul Hetherington, 33, entered the plea for attempted production of child sexual abuse material on Friday, according to a release from the Department of Justice.

Hetherington was stationed in Norfolk and serving as a surface warfare officer department head on the USS Ross at the time of his arrest in December 2022. He was originally charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor in addition to the attempted production charge.

According to court documents, Hetherington started speaking with someone who he thought was 14 years old back in October 2022.

He repeatedly asked for sexually-explicit photos and detailed in a phone conversation sexual acts he wished to perform on and with the girl, who was actually an NCIS special agent. He also made plans to meet her, prosecutors say.

Federal agents eventually arrested Hetherington at his home on December 21, 2022. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years when he’s sentenced on August 9.

Hetherington’s arrest was part of an undercover online child exploitation operation run by NCIS, with help from Norfolk Police and Homeland Security. It was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative to combat child sexual exploitation.