Investigators say a McMinn County man who thought he was meeting a 13-year-old for sex met an undercover TBI agent instead.
Joseph Michalowski, 53, of Knight Road in Athens, was arrested early Monday morning and charged with 28 counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of exploitation of a minor by electronic means and one count of solicitation to commit statutory rape.
Investigators say Michalowski started communicating with a 13-year-old girl in June. The two began conversing about sex and exchanging explicit photos. The girl's parents discovered this, and contacted authorities.
After an investigation by the Athens Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, a meeting was arranged between Michalowski and an undercover agent near the corner of East Side Plaza in Athens. Michalowski admitted to law enforcement that he asked the victim to meet him and engage in sex. He was arrested without incident and is being held in the McMinn County jail. His bond has not been set.