KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A St. Louis-area police officer was arrested as part of Operation United Front, according to the Missouri Attorney General's office.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt held a press conference in Kansas City Friday morning to announce the success of a multi-state human trafficking sting led by Missouri overnight Thursday.
Of the 102 people arrested in the bust, two were from Missouri.
One of those was 65-year-old Gregory Ortlip, a Maryland Heights police officer.
He was charged with enticement or attempted enticement of a child and faces five to 30 years in prison. If convicted, he would become a registered sex offender.
NBC affiliate KSDK in St. Louis obtained documents that said that on Aug. 9, Ortlip solicited nude photos in an online chat from what he thought was a 14-year-old child. However, it was a Kentucky-based officer with a child internet crimes task force.
Ortlip also worked part-time at a pediatric hospital in St. Louis County, according to St. Louis County officials.
The attorney general's office said Ortlip was arrested Wednesday as part of the operation.
Operation United Front rescued 47 victims and sex workers across 12 states. Four were rescued in Missouri and another 11 were provided with resources.
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