COEUR d’ALENE — A man who was caught in a sting operation after he exchanged inappropriate messages with an undercover officer posing as a teen girl received a prison sentence.

Shandon S. Singer, 34, pleaded guilty in May to enticing a child through the internet, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. 

First District Judge Regina McCrea sentenced Singer this week to 10 years in prison with parole eligibility after four years. 

Prosecutors said Singer was caught in “Operation Spring Break,” a sting that involved the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, the Boise Police Department and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to court records. 

As part of the operation, an undercover police officer created a profile on a dating app “depicting a younger-looking female,” according to the prosecutor’s office. 

Singer initiated contact with the fake profile, court records said, and engaged in suggestive conversations with an undercover officer who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. He arranged to meet the “decoy girl” at a motel in Coeur d’Alene, prosecutors said, where he was arrested. 

Before handing down the sentence, McCrea said a prison sentence was appropriate in the case, not to “make an example” of Singer but to reflect the seriousness of the offense. 

“I don’t find any excuse or justification for this behavior,” she said. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or domestic violence, call Safe Passage Violence Prevention Center’s 24-hour helpline: 208-664-9303.