Cape Coral sex offender sentenced to 10 years in prison

CAPE CORAL, Fla. A 24-year-old man accused of soliciting a child was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

John Joseph McEnroe, of Cape Coral, was arrested in 2016 as part of Operation Cyber Guardian, a joint task force involving Homeland Security Investigations, the Cape Coral Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to stop online sexual predators.

MORE: ‘Operation Cyber Guardian’ nets 21 child porn arrests

McEnroe was accused of sending inappropriate text messages to someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl, the State Attorney’s Office said. McEnroe drove to a Cape Coral home to meet with the girl, but was met by officers.

McEnroe had multiple online searches on his phone that involved rape and murder along with the address of the girl he thought he was meeting, the State Attorney’s Office said.

McEnroe, who entered a plea straight to the court instead of a jury, was also sentenced to five years probation for traveling to meet with a minor and is registered as a lifetime sexual offender, the State Attorney’s Office said.

McEnroe had no previous criminal history, the State Attorney’s Office said.