Lieutenant commander on Norfolk-based destroyer pleads guilty to child porn charge
A Navy lieutenant commander pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court to a child pornography charge following sexually explicit conversations with a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
Christopher Paul Hetherington, 33, faces 15 to 30 years in federal prison for the attempted production of child pornography. The charge stems from an online sting operation last year from Oct. 26 to Dec. 15.
Using the screen name “sw0daddy,” the Navy officer had repeated sexually explicit conversations online with an agent posing as a high school girl, according to an affidavit filed Dec. 19 by Naval Criminal Investigative Services.
Throughout the six weeks, Hetherington detailed the sexual acts he wished to perform with her, and encouraged her to send explicit photos. Most of the conversations took place on Snapchat, a multimedia instant-messaging app.
The agent suspected Hetherington was a surface warfare officer in the Navy because his screen name referenced the acronym used for the rate.
At the time of the conversations, Hetherington was assigned to a Norfolk-based destroyer, the USS Ross. A lieutenant commander, he was serving as a weapons officer on the ship.
He made plans to meet with the girl Dec. 21 for sex. Instead, he was arrested at his home by NCIS.
Hetherington is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 9.
Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
