BARTOW COUNTY, GA — A former National Guardsman accused of enticing children has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg says 46-year-old William Eric Cooper of Adairsville directed a 15-year-old North Carolina girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct after exchanging more than 1,000 text messages.

Federal agents say Cooper encouraged her to provide sexually explicit videos of herself.

“He made plans to travel to North Carolina to meet the child, he encouraged the child to produce images of child pornography and send it to him, which she did,” Hertzberg states.

Hertzberg says fighting sexual exploitation is a priority for his office.

“Cooper’s a Bartow County man who was engaging in graphic chats with a 15-year-old child from North Carolina,” Hertzberg states.

Hertzberg says Cooper is a predator who deserves the significant sentence.

WSB Radio’s Lisa Nicholas contributed to this story.