BARTOW COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
FBI investigators said they arrested the Mayor of Taylorsville for trying to meet with a child to have sex.
Cary Rhodes, 57, was arrested on Thursday by officers after an undercover sting operation over the Internet.
"I mean that's disgusting," said Kasey Holloway, a lifelong resident of Taylorsville. "That's terrible. But people are sick."
Rhodes is facing state charges of attempted aggravated child molestation and violation of the computer pornography and child exploitation act.
Police said the mayor chatted with the child on the Internet then set up a meeting to have sex with the minor. He was met instead by FBI agents and arrested.
"I feel like he should be charged and get the proper punishment that he should get," resident Kristy Smith said.
A self-employed engineer, Rhodes is also the secretary and chief financial officer of the Taylorsville Baptist Church.
"He would sing in the church and was really involved and that kind of thing," Holloway said. "It's always surprising to hear these kinds of things about somebody that you've known of your whole life."
News of the mayor's arrest spread throughout the small community. Taylorsville has a population of 200 and residents said most people know each other.
A Murray County judge denied Rhodes bond Friday afternoon. He is locked up at the county's detention center and due in court next week.
"Individuals that come to our attention in these types of cases no longer really surprise the investigators," said FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett. "They come from all walks of life and cross all socioeconomic boundaries."
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