Lexington man sentenced for trying to engage in sex with minors

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Lexington man will spend more than a decade in prison for trying to have sex with minors, according to prosecutors.

In May, 33-year-old Timothy Mark Poynter, II pleaded guilty to using the internet to knowingly attempt to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor, to engage in sexual activity.

According to prosecutors, Poynter was unknowingly communicating with two different undercover law enforcement agents, who both responded to an ad Poynter posted on Craigslist.com.

One undercover officer portrayed himself as the father of a 14-year old step-daughter, and the other officer posed as the mother of an 11-year old daughter.

According to prosecutors, Poynter engaged in conversations during which he indicated his interest in engaging in sexual intercourse with both of the fictitious minors.

They say he traveled to a meeting place in Lexington, designated by the undercover officer posing as the father, on April 26, 2017. Poynter admitted that he was the person who had been communicating with the officer, and that those communications contained sexually explicit conversations.

Poynter was sentenced to 150 months in prison. Under federal law, Poynter must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. He will also remain on probation for the rest of his life.