ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. — A team of investigators from several law enforcement and child safety agencies said Friday they arrested Samuel Smith, 57, in Isle of Wight county on charges of child exploitation.
The Isle of Wight County Sheriff's Office said Smith, whose last address was in North Irwin, Pennsylvania, reached out to undercover investigators Smith thought were children using social media and online chat rooms.
"He requested and sent nude photos to a person he thought to be under the age of 15 and offered to travel to Virginia to engage in a sexual act with a minor," investigators wrote. "Smith did in fact travel from Pennsylvania to Isle of Wight County (over 360 miles) to engage in a sexual act with a minor and at this time he was arrested."
Officials said Smith is facing a host of charges related to using a communication device to solicit a sex act, and child exploitation.
He is being held in the Western Tidewater Regional Jail with no opportunity to be released on bond.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Bedford County Virginia Sheriff’s Offices Southern Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force contributed to the investigation and Smith's arrest.