He was caught in a Tri-Cities child sex sting. His case is the first to face a jury

Eight months after 26 Mid-Columbia men were swept up by authorities in an effort to combat online child predators, a case has gone to trial.

Jury selection began Monday in Benton County Superior Court in the case against Thomas A. Swarers.

The 70-year-old Kennewick man is the first case out of the five-day “Net Nanny Operation” to go before a jury. He is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree rape of a child.

Two other men arrested in the operation recently pleaded guilty.

Swarers responded July 7 to an ad from a fictitious mother and talked about having sex with her daughters, ages 6 and 11, court documents said.

He allegedly went to a Richland apartment where undercover detectives were waiting. Once inside, he was searched and found to have condoms and sex toys, documents said.

On Monday, 73 potential jurors responded to court. Seven people were excused for hardships or other reasons.

Lawyers hope to have a jury in place by Wednesday afternoon for opening statements. The trial is expected to last through the week.

This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 6:47 PM with the headline "He was caught in a Tri-Cities child sex sting. His case is the first to face a jury."