Sporting
orange jail clothing, and with his wrists handcuffed and ankles shackled by
chains, former Staunton police officer John C. Nuckolls pleaded guilty Tuesday
to sex charges that were the result of a covert online sting operation by his
one-time colleagues last spring.
In
a plea agreement with the Staunton prosecutor’s office, Nuckolls, 55, was
sentenced to five years in prison on two counts each of attempted indecent
liberties with a child and soliciting a child for sex via electronic means.
Nuckolls,
who hung his head for much of the hearing, declined to address the court when
given a chance by Circuit Judge Charles Ricketts III.
“I’ll
refrain at this time, your honor,” Nuckolls said.
Staunton
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Anne Reed said Nuckolls was lured by a fake
Craigslist ad posted in May by Cpl. Jeremy Campbell, an investigator with the
Staunton Police Department. Campbell posed as a 14-year-old girl and portrayed
the fictitious teen as “bored, lonely and heartbroken,” Reed said.
Nuckolls
answered the ad and began communicating with Campbell on May 14 through Yahoo!
Messenger.
Evidence
showed that Nuckolls quickly became enticed by the fictitious teen, peppering
her with questions about her age, school, family, her mother’s work hours, the
teen’s sexual history and even her 18-year-old ex-boyfriend.
“He
stated he could put her ex to shame,” Reed said.
Nuckolls
also said he wanted to “relive his youth” with the girl, according to evidence.
Much
of the online communications were sexual, Reed said, despite Nuckolls thinking
the girl was 14.
After
being told the teen was a Shelburne Middle School student, Nuckolls checked on
her status and grew suspicious after he couldn’t find her registered at the
school. Nuckolls also reached out to a Staunton police officer and asked if
investigators were working on an undercover online sting operation, Reed said.
The officer declined to divulge any details, and Nuckolls continued his
pursuit.
Nuckolls
made plans to pick up the teen at her house on the night of May 19 while her
mother was away at work. Police used a vacant home on Winthrop Street as the
meeting place and had a female officer on the front steps with several unmarked
cars nearby.
After
arriving at the residence, Nuckolls was arrested at the scene. Police found a
packaged condom in the driver’s side door of his vehicle.
A
26-year veteran who was a school resource officer for the last five years of
his career, Nuckolls retired from the police force in 2008.
Nuckolls
faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, but Reed said the 5-year term was in
line with others convicted locally on similar charges.
Placed on probation for 10 years, Nuckolls
is to have no contact with female minors and will be evaluated for sex offender
treatment