NORFOLK, Va. (WRIC) — A former United States Navy Surface Warfare Officer is facing 15 to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of attempted production of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, 33-year-old Christopher Paul Hetherington of Chesapeake began having sexually explicit conversations on Snapchat with an undercover police officer whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl around October of 2022.
Using the screen name “sw0daddy” in reference to his position in the U.S. Navy at the time, Hetherington repeatedly asked for explicit images of the undercover officer — as well as reassurance the she was not a member of law enforcement.
Hetherington detailed sexual acts he wanted to perform with the undercover officer over the phone and in December of 2022, arranged to meet her for sex. Instead, he was arrested at his home after a brief struggle on Dec. 21.
After his arrest, police searched Hetherington’s phone, tablet and Snapchat account and found images and videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Hetherington was charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, as well as attempted production of images depicting a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 9, 2023 and faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years.
