The arrest last week of Taylorsville mayor and Bartow County businessman Cary Rhodes on attempted child molestation and related charges shocked many people and created quite a buzz around town. Rhodes is alleged to have traveled up to Chatsworth for a sexual hookup with an underage child he met online. Of course Rhodes is innocent until proven guilty and my comments below have nothing to do with his specific case.

Unfortunately these types of incidents happen all too often, and many times the man arrested had been considered to be an upstanding member of the community prior to the incident. The question many have in the wake of these types of arrests is why would a well-respected man risk losing his family, friends, and freedom in such a reckless way? A couple of years ago I happened to have a conversation with a law enforcement officer who participated in online child molestation cases. We explored the issue and may have come up with some answers.

Though the mirror may tell them otherwise, many men in their 40's, 50's, or 60's have an image of themselves as still being that invincible high school senior who can sink the three-pointer, slug a grand slam, or scamper down the sideline for a touchdown.

Maybe it's the fear of soon being a senior citizen that drives these men to online chat rooms where they feel they can safely flirt and feel young again. A few may stumble and eventually end up having an affair as a result, but fortunately most men who succumb to this chat room temptation are able to put on the brakes before they do something stupid like that.

While dalliances outside the bonds of matrimony are a tragic thing for any marriage, they have occurred regularly since time began and most folks aren't that surprised when they hear of one. But again, why would a grown man risk everything by attempting to engage in sexual activity with an underage female young enough to be his granddaughter?

Analysts point out that very few of the men arrested in these stings are actually true hardcore pedophiles, and it would be extremely rare one of them would attempt to kidnap or entice a young child for indecent purposes in their everyday life. However, for some reason many people see the Internet as this safe anonymous place where they can let their hair down and engage in activities they normally wouldn't partake in. One thing leads to another and then suddenly you have a major problem.

According to this law enforcement officer, if a man is chatting with an underage teen girl online, there is a strong possibility he is actually talking with a specially trained undercover officer. These officers know what to say and what buttons to push to stroke a man's ego and reel him in. Often the teenage girl (undercover officer) will begin to pursue the man after the initial contact, and over a period of weeks or months finally convince him to meet up. Busted!

It's really a numbers game. If you stand on a street corner and beg for money you will soon discover that out of every hundred people that walk by, a certain percentage will hand you some change or a dollar or two. These online officers know that a certain percentage of men they come across in these chat rooms will eventually give into temptation.

Some contend it to be entrapment. They claim law enforcement officers are exploiting men's weaknesses and that the majority of the guys eventually arrested would have never tried to meet an underage girl under normal circumstances without being psychologically manipulated by the trained undercover experts. The law enforcement community will tell you they're just trying to get these guys off the streets before they actually have an opportunity to do something.

Regardless, if you're a man hanging out in a chat room and a sweet young thing strikes up a conversation, click that little X up in the corner of your browser and then put down the mouse for a while. There are some guys serving time down at Jackson State Prison in Butts County who will tell you it's not worth it.

This topic does raise the subject of inequality in sentencing. When a man is found guilty of consensual sexual contact with a minor female he is usually thrown under the jail. A typical sentence might include a long prison term, followed by highly restrictive probation, and being placed on the sex offender registry.

However when a woman commits the same acts with a minor male she often only gets a slap on the wrist. Maybe a couple of years probation or a few months in the slammer and then she is a free bird. Just this past week a female teacher in Ohio was found guilty of 16 counts of sexual battery after having sexual relations with five male students who she supplied with drugs and alcohol. Her sentence? Four years with the possibility of early release after six months. If this had been a male teacher and female students, you can bet his sentence would have been much harsher.

In closing, we all know that temptation is a normal part of life, but maturity is not allowing yourself to be placed in a position where you can be easily tempted. If you hang out in chat rooms frequented by underage girls, you're just begging for trouble.

Follow me on Twitter @chuckshiflett and also check out my statewide columns at: The Backroom Report