A disgraced ex-sheriff’s deputy from one of Tennessee’s most affluent counties has copped to a federal felony charge after getting busted in an undercover FBI operation targeting online predators, court records show.

Joseph Slabaugh, 35, a former jailer with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga to one count of attempted possession of child pornography. The charge stems from a months-long probe where Slabaugh, using a secret online persona, chatted up an FBI agent posing as a parent offering illicit images of minors.

According to the plea agreement unsealed this week, Slabaugh’s digital trail led agents straight to his doorstep. Starting in early 2024, he allegedly used encrypted apps and dark web forums to solicit explicit material involving children as young as 8, prosecutors say. “The defendant knowingly and intentionally tried to get his hands on child sexual abuse material,” reads the court filing. “He was well aware it was illegal—and he didn’t care.”

Slabaugh, who worked for the sheriff’s office from 2019 until his suspension in March 2024, admitted in his plea to exchanging explicit messages and even wiring money via cryptocurrency in a botched attempt to download the forbidden files. The sting wrapped up when agents raided his Leiper’s Fork home, seizing laptops, hard drives, and phones loaded with chat logs that painted a damning picture of his double life.

Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Long wasted no time cutting ties. “This individual’s actions are a betrayal of the badge and everything we stand for in protecting our community—especially its most vulnerable,” Long said in a statement Tuesday. Slabaugh was fired outright following his arrest, and the department’s internal probe cleared colleagues of any complicity. “We’re cooperating fully with federal authorities,” Long added, emphasizing the office’s zero-tolerance policy on such crimes.

Federal sentencing guidelines peg Slabaugh’s potential punishment at a minimum of five years in prison, with a max of 10, plus up to a lifetime of supervised release and hefty fines. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Brandon F. Floyd, hailed the plea as a win for child safety initiatives. “These operations dismantle the hidden networks preying on kids online,” Floyd told reporters. “No one is above the law—especially not those sworn to uphold it.”

The case echoes a disturbing uptick in law enforcement scandals across Tennessee. Just last month, a former Chattanooga cop was sentenced to 20 years for similar enticement charges, while in Knox County, a disgraced teacher drew 20 years for producing child porn in 2024. Nationally, the FBI’s Innocent Images National Initiative has ramped up stings, nabbing over 2,000 suspects last year alone. “The internet’s anonymity is a predator’s best friend—until it’s not,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Knoxville office, Matthew F. Morrissey.

Slabaugh’s guilty plea sidesteps a full trial, where graphic evidence from his devices could have been aired publicly. In court docs, he waived his right to contest the facts, owning up to the attempted possession under 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). His lawyer, Chattanooga-based public defender Emily Inman, declined comment, citing the ongoing case. Sentencing is slated for January 2026 before U.S. District Judge Travis R. McDonough.

For locals in Williamson County—home to Nashville’s elite suburbs like Franklin and Brentwood—the news hits hard. “You send your kids to school thinking the cops are the good guys,” said one anonymous parent at a community meeting Wednesday. “Now this? It’s terrifying.” The sheriff’s office has since hosted extra sessions on online safety, urging families to monitor kids’ devices and report suspicious activity.

This isn’t Slabaugh’s first brush with scrutiny. Court records reveal a 2018 misdemeanor for public intoxication during his academy days, but nothing that foreshadowed this level of depravity. Neighbors described him as a “quiet family man” with a wife and two young kids, now left to pick up the pieces amid the fallout. Child Protective Services has been looped in, though details remain sealed.

As the gavel looms, Slabaugh’s saga serves as a stark reminder of the shadows lurking behind badges. In an era where smartphones are gateways to the darkest corners of the web, federal watchdogs like the FBI are doubling down on proactive hunts. “We’re not waiting for victims to come forward,” Morrissey stressed. “We’re going where the monsters hide.”

For tips on online exploitation, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children runs a hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST. Slabaugh remains free on $50,000 bond, under strict electronic monitoring—no internet access, no contact with minors. One wrong click, and he’s back in cuffs.