Retired THP sergeant pleads guilty to smuggling woman into US

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A retired Tennessee Highway Patrol sergeant has pleaded guilty to transporting a woman into the country illegally.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith says 70-year-old Ronald Edward Strickland pleaded guilty Tuesday in Nashville federal court.

Court documents say Strickland planned to smuggle the 22-year-old woman from Honduras into the U.S.

Filings say Strickland texted her in January 2016 about meeting for a sexual relationship. He texted someone in Honduras, among others, about it.

The documents say Strickland drove to Houston in July 2016 to get the woman and drive her to his Franklin, Tennessee, home.

An investigation found Strickland paid a coyote $8,000 to smuggle her, and Strickland had an apartment in Honduras and regularly traveled there.

He faces a maximum of five years in prison. His sentencing is Oct. 17.