NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A man who worked as a trooper for the state of Vermont in the 1980s was arrested after he tried to meet with an undercover officer he thought was a 12-year-old girl for sex, prosecutors say.
Thomas Cesiro, 66, sent messages to a New York state police officer posing as the mother of a 12-year-old girl saying he wanted to have sex with the girl, the New York Post reported, citing a criminal complaint.
“Daddy won’t hurt her,” Cesiro texted the police officer, according to the outlet, adding that he would be “gentle” with the girl.
Cesiro was arrested at a parking lot in Vermont in October, after he drove there believing he and the girl would be having sex, the outlet reported.
Cesiro worked as a Vermont state trooper from 1980 to 1985, a spokesperson for the agency told the outlet.
His attorney told the outlet his arrest followed “a sting operation set up by the Colonie Police Department.”
“There were no children involved at any time,” the attorney said.