A Torrance aerospace engineer was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for meeting a 14-year-old girl for sex.
Richard Flower, 50, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Last month, Flower pleaded no contest to one count each of contact with a minor for sexual offense, committing a lewd act on a child, meeting a minor for sexual purposes and possession of child pornography.
Prosecutors said Flower contacted the victim through an instant messaging service on Sept. 25. He met the girl in Palmdale the following week and had sex with her, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators alerted to the crime later pretended to be the girl and sent texts to Flower. When he was arrested, child pornography was found on his cell phone.
— City News Service