A former Minneapolis police officer admitted Thursday in Hennepin County District Court to sending pictures of his genitals to juvenile girls he met on Facebook.

Bradley Schnickel, 32, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of Internet solicitation of children, according to Chuck Laszewski, spokesman for the Hennepin County attorney’s office.

Schnickel has yet to enter a plea in the slate of similar charges facing the Andover father in Anoka County.

“We are glad (Schnickel) has taken responsibility for his victims in Hennepin County, but the Anoka County attorney’s office is going to continue to pursue justice on behalf of his 18 victims here,” said Assistant Anoka County Attorney Paul Young.

Under his plea deal, Schnickel is expected to be sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, stayed for six years of probation, and be required to serve one year in Hennepin County’s Adult Corrections Facility, Laszewski said.

His sentencing has been set for Aug. 27.

Neither Schnickel nor his attorney could be reached for comment after the hearing Thursday.

Schnickel admitted in court to engaging in sexually charged communication with two girls under the age of 15 who both resided in Brooklyn Center.

He solicited the juveniles on Facebook, telling them he liked younger girls. He eventually sent lewd pictures of himself and tried to get them to meet him in person, according to the Hennepin County criminal complaint.

He was employed as a police officer in Minneapolis at the time. The Minneapolis Police Department dismissed him shortly after his February arrest.

Investigators in Brooklyn Center were tipped to his behavior after one girl’s mother looked at her daughter’s Facebook account and found sexually explicit conversations taking place between the girl and a male who identified himself as “Brady Schmidt,” who police later determined was Schnickel.

A subsequent search of his online records uncovered about 9,000 pages of electronic data detailing his communication with several other juveniles, including 18 girls from Anoka County.

Among the charges he faces there, most of which relate to online solicitation, Schnickel also is accused of sexual assault.

In one instance, according to the charges, he allegedly had sex with a 14-year-old in his parked car near Crooked Lake in Anoka County after Schnickel gave the girl Mountain Dew mixed with vodka.

He reportedly masturbated in front of a 13-year-old who agreed to meet him in his car outside her Coon Rapids home, charges say.

His next court appearance in Anoka County is scheduled for October.

Sarah Horner can be reached at 651-228-5539. Follow her at twitter.com/hornsarah.