SOMERSET, Mass. (AP) — A Louisiana man pleaded guilty this week to child enticement charges for posing as a child and interacting with a Somerset, Massachusetts, child online last year, according to authorities. Carlos Normand, 33, was sentenced on Monday and will serve 2 1/2 years in the Bristol County House of Corrections with 18 months to serve, said Somerset police. He will also serve three years of probation, police said.

Authorities reported receiving a report in October 2022 about a child that had been sent messages on their social media accounts from a person they didn’t know. Normand, police said, used social media to pose as an 11-year-old and 9-year-old child, and was “grooming” the child by building trust and emotional connection to manipulate and abuse them. With this information, a detective then posed as a 10-year-old boy and was asked by Normand for sexual nature content, police said. Normand sent sexually explicit images to the detective, police said, using a social media app.

The 33-year-old, authorities said, was then arrested in December in his home state on an outstanding warrant issued by Somerset police. He was charged with enticing a child under the age of 16, distributing obscene matter to a minor and accosting/annoying another person. The case serves as a reminder of the dangers children face while using social media, and the importance of monitoring their online activity and educating them about the potential risks and predators. It also highlights the work of law enforcement in combatting online predators and protecting children from harm.

In summary, Carlos Normand, 33, has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison and three years probation after pleading guilty to child enticement charges for posing as a child and manipulating a Somerset, Massachusetts, child online. He was caught by authorities after engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a detective who had posed as a 10-year-old boy. The case emphasizes the dangers children face while using social media and the need for vigilance and education to protect them from potential risks and predators.