Sting nets an ex-LDS official

DILLON, Mont. — A former Mormon stake president pleaded guilty to using the Internet to solicit sex from an Idaho police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.

Clayton Hildreth, 51, of Dillon, Mont., will be sentenced Jan. 24 in U.S. District Court in Boise. Hildreth pleaded guilty to interstate travel with intent to have sex with a minor.

As part of the plea deal, Hildreth agreed to forfeit his 2000 Dodge pickup and his computer system, and he will be required to register as a sex offender.

Hildreth sent more than a dozen electronic messages over a six-week period to a Boise officer who claimed to be a girl calling herself "boisejenni2008," court records said.

Twice Hildreth sent sexually explicit images of himself from his office computer and eventually called to arrange to meet, documents said.

On June 23, Hildreth drove to Boise and went to what he thought was the girl's home. Authorities said Hildreth carried three condoms, a gift of lingerie and a digital camera. He was then arrested by Boise police.

"The Internet is a wonderful tool, but like all tools it can be misused," U.S. Attorney Tom Moss said on Tuesday. "We will continue to work closely with law enforcement to protect our children from those who prey on them."