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SALT LAKE CITY -- A former Utah National Guard soldier will spend time in prison for soliciting sex online from someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl.
The Deseret News reports Craig Dowen was sentenced to serve nearly four years in prison for his guilty plea to enticing a minor over the Internet.
Investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force say Dowen encountered three undercover agents posing as underage girls online last year. He was arrested when he showed up at an arranged meeting for sex at a shopping center in the Salt Lake Valley on Aug. 1, 2008.
Dowen also faces charges for a marijuana growing operation in his Tooele home. He is due in state court Oct. 13 on those charges.
The Deseret News reports Dowen held the rank of sergeant first class. His attorney says Dowen served as an Army recruiter for 18 of his 25 years in the military, including 14 years on active duty.
