ST. GEORGE — A 50-year-old former police detective in Mesquite, Nevada, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Utah in a teenage sex case.

Court records show that Gary Erickson of Bunkerville, Nevada, avoided trial with his plea on Monday to a charge of crossing state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Erickson's attorney, Ryan Stout, was in court Tuesday and unavailable for immediate comment.

Erickson is expected to face up to five years in prison at sentencing Oct. 8 by U.S. District Judge Paul Kohler in St. George.

He was arrested in September 2018 after the parents of a 15-year-old St. George boy contacted police about photos the teen had been exchanging with Erickson.

Erickson was fired from his job after 19 years at the Mesquite Police Department.