He offered $100 for sex with a Tri-City girl. The payout is a prison term

A 43-year-old Kennewick man will spend nearly five years in prison for offering $100 to a teen girl to take a shower together.

Dewayne L. Hetrick Jr. told her that “13 is a turn on” before following through on their plans to meet up.

But the teen waiting for him inside a Richland apartment was an undercover officer working the Tri-Cities “Net Nanny Operation” in July 2017.

Hetrick was one of 26 men arrested in the online sting that targeted child predators.

He pleaded guilty last month in Benton County Superior Court to attempted second-degree child rape. A second charge for commercial sex abuse of a minor was dismissed.

During sentencing this week, Hetrick apologized to his wife and family and expressed remorse for his actions.

He earlier told a community corrections officer that he wants “to do counseling and treatment so I can earn society’s trust again.”

The minimum term of almost five years was an agreed recommendation by both sides. It was the same deal given to several other defendants who also have admitted guilt in recent months, said Deputy Prosecutor Diana Ruff.

Since it was a sex crime, Hetrick received a maximum sentence of life in prison. That means his ultimate release will be up to a state board based on his behavior and participation in treatment while behind bars.

Once out, Hetrick will be on supervision and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, said Ruff.

He had no criminal convictions before this case.

The five-day operation involved undercover detectives answering online postings that already existed on various websites, along with placing their own ads claiming to be kids as young as 11 or parents who were offering their children for sex.

It was led by the Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force, with 45 local, state and federal law enforcement officers and prosecutors participating.

Court documents show that Hetrick replied to a Craigslist ad on July 7 that said it was a “young (female) looking for (an) older daddy” to take care of her. The girl claimed to be a runaway.

Hetrick, in one email, said he had “to be extra careful, I don’t want to get in trouble.”

After his arrest, Hetrick said he came to the apartment to “see what happened” but denied agreeing to have sex with the girl. He also claimed he was going to leave the five $20 bills no matter what happened, documents said.

Hetrick told a community corrections officer in advance of sentencing that he had strayed from his marriage in recent years and had created online profiles looking for sexual relationships.

He denied to the officer “ever seeking out companionship from a minor before his current offense, and reports he still doesn’t know if he would have gone through with it.”