By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL/ Staff Writer

Clanton resident Ray Lanier Edwards, 48, was arrested on July 29 in an operation conducted by Daleville SWAT and patrol units and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigators.

Edwards was charged with child solicitation by computer, transmitting obscene material to a child, enticing a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act.

A Daleville investigator said Edwards maxed out on his bonds.

The investigator requested to remain unnamed because of the serious nature of Edwards’ crime.

“He found us through a social media site,” the investigator said. “Basically, he contacted a juvenile on the site who was actually an undercover police detective.”

According to the investigator, Edwards scheduled a meeting time with the juvenile at a park in Dale County, where he was taken into custody to the Dale County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a representative at the Dale County Jail, Edwards was released July 31.