TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A 27-year-old Army sergeant from Joint Base Lewis-McChord has pleaded guilty in federal court to sex trafficking of a child and attempted sex trafficking of a child.
Prosecutors say Sterling Hospedales set up one juvenile in a Lakewood apartment to work as a prostitute and had a second juvenile flown in from Wyoming to do the same.
Prosecutors agreed to seek a sentence of 10-15 years in prison. He will be sentenced Oct. 25 and Judge Benjamin Settle could impose a sentence of 10 years to life.
The Army is dishonorably discharging the man.
Lakewood police began the investigation in April 2009, when officers found out about a juvenile runaway from Seattle who was posting Craigslist ads that said she was a prostitute. The federal Innocence Lost Task Force followed up and found that juvenile and a second girl.
