Karl Etters

Democrat staff writer

A former deputy general counsel for Florida State University has been arrested by federal authorities on charges of soliciting a minor for sex.

Dayton Cramer, 70, was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted enticement of a minor.

FSU spokesman Dennis Schnittker said Cramer resigned prior to the university firing him. Cramer was earning more than $161,575 a year at his job, which he started in 2000. He resigned in a handwritten note that did not mention his arrest.

Cramer is being represented by Tallahassee attorney Tim Jansen.

Jansen said his client was released from custody Wednesday after a preliminary federal hearing. Cramer, who is married with children, will be subjected to house arrest and GPS monitoring as a condition of his release.

“He denies the allegations and we are preparing for trial,” Jansen said.

Cramer's 44-year legal career includes time as the chief legal counsel for the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, and as a senior law clerk to Judge Charles R. Richey, who presided over a variety of Watergate cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. A retired U.S. Army colonel, Cramer "served three tours in the Pentagon," according to his LinkedIn page.

Over the past three days, Department of Homeland Security investigators, along with local law enforcement officers, conducted an online operation to identify adults who were targeting minors online through Craigslist ads.

Undercover agents posted an ad posing as a mother “trying to get her step-daughter some ‘experience’ from an older man,” federal court records say.

Cramer responded to the ad Sunday saying he was an interested 59-year-old with the full knowledge the “girl” in the ad was a 13-year-old. He mentioned that he is married and a lawyer, court records said.

He continued to communicate until Tuesday when he sent a photo of his genitalia. He asked questions about whether law enforcement was involved and to determine a meeting location. When he arrived, he was taken into custody.

When being questioned, Cramer admitted responding to the ad, knowing the child in question was a teen and sending the photo.

Commenting on Cramer's arrest, FSU President John Thrasher said he expects university employees to conduct themselves with high moral, ethical and professional standards.

"These allegations against our former deputy general counsel are shocking and appalling," Thrasher said in a statement. "Upon learning of the arrest of Michael Cramer, the university immediately placed him on administrative leave. Later in the day, when we received the criminal complaint, we initiated steps toward terminating his employment. However, he resigned before being terminated. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement."

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.

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