A former local pastor was arrested in Wisconsin after trying to meet who he thought was a 15-year-old girl for sex, but was really a sheriff’s investigator.

Scott Nesbitt is in Racine County Jail. The 48-year-old faces three felony charges: use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted second degree sexual assault of a child, and possession of child pornography. Bond is set at $50,000.

Prior to moving to Wisconsin, Nesbitt lived in Dubuque where he was employed at several churches, and he was a pastor at the Ainsworth Community Church from 1998-2007.

According to the Racine County Sheriff’s Office, he was arrested June 10th after chatting online with an investigator who posed as a 15-year-old girl since April. During the conversations, Nesbitt stated, “I can’t stop thinking about how much I want to corrupt your innocence”. Arrangements were made for Nesbitt to meet the girl on June 10 at a McDonald’s. Nesbitt made plans to pick the girl up with a full tank of gas and drive to an undisclosed location. Nesbitt further described his attraction to middle school age girls and search warrants were served on his cell phone and his residence where multiple images of child pornography were obtained.

This incident is still under investigation by the Racine County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau.