An academic professional at the University of Georgia who was arrested Thursday in a sex sting in Oconee County became the second UGA employee charged this month in connection with investigations into the website Backpage.com, according to reports.

Bobby J. Stanton, a professional in UGA's chemistry department, was charged with pandering after he offered an female undercover officer money for sex, according to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office. In early June, a UGA professor of German, Max Reinhart, was charged with prostitution in Gwinnett County after police said he offered sex for $60.

Stanton has "already reported to the Office of Legal Affairs, which he is required to do in 72 hours," said UGA spokeswoman Wendy Jones. "The department head is aware of the matter and (the university's legal affairs office) will proceed as appropriate."

Last week, UGA officials announced Reinhart will retire next spring.

Stanton was one of eight men and one woman arrested during an undercover sting targeting people looking for sex on the Backpage website, according to Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry. The woman was charged with prostitution.

"We posted ads on Backpage and we responded to ads on Backpage," Berry said Friday.

Those arrested have been released on $1,000 bonds.

The undercover sting took place from about noon to 8 p.m. Thursday at SpringHill Suites at the Oconee Connector off Georgia Highway 316, according to a sheriff's report.

At times, officers were busy.

"At one point, we had one suspect in the room, another pulling up to the motel, and another five minutes away. We had a steady stream of folks, both calling and arriving at the hotel," the sheriff said.

None of those arrested carried illegal drugs or weapons, according to Berry.

Such an undercover operation was discussed with Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith about two months ago, Berry said. But when an armed robbery linked to Backpage occurred in the small Oconee town of Bishop on June 16, the sheriff said he decided to proceed with the investigation, which was conducted with the cooperation of the Barrow County Crime Task Force.

In the Bishop robbery, a Jefferson man said he met a woman over Backpage and as they talked about going to a motel room, she pulled a knife and took his money when they stopped at an intersection in Bishop.

SpringHill Suites management was aware of the investigation, according to the sheriff.

"They don't want this kind of activity at their motel in Oconee County or any of their properties. They were very cooperative with us," Berry said.

Prior to the sting, Berry said he met with prosecutors in the Western Circuit District Attorney's office.

"We had a strict set of guidelines to go by in order to make an arrest," he said. "There has to be an offering of money or something of value for a sex act."

One man who came to the motel was allowed to leave when he did not make an offer that would have constituted pandering, according to Berry.

The male suspects all met with a female undercover officer who works for the Barrow County Sheriff's Office, Berry said. Deputies had a room where the people would meet under secret surveillance.

"They were under surveillance for the protection of the undercover deputy - and evidence was gathered in the recordings of the conversations and the payment of money for a specific sex act," the sheriff said.

The 23-year-old woman charged with prostitution had actually posted an advertisement on Backpage and was arrested after she offered sex in exchange for money, according to Berry.

The arrests should send a message to those who would meet with prostitutes in the county, according to Berry.

"The message is if you make arrangements with Backpage in Oconee County, the likelihood you'll find a deputy sheriff at the end of the line will be really good," he said. "There is a likelihood we'll conduct more of these type cases."

In addition to Stanton, the suspects charged with pandering were Matthew Lee Becker, 27, of Barnett Shoals Road, Athens; Kenneth Matthew Dean, 22, of Belmont Road, Athens; Micah Daniel Thorp, 26, of Nowhere Road, Athens; Michael Justin Warner, 34, of Michael Road, Monroe; Myron Linwerd Harbell, 33, of Dreamland Circle, Winder; Rodney Packard, 42, of Atlanta Highway, Bogart, and William Ashley Barnett, 39, of Washington.

Meghan Beeman, 23, of Lawrenceville, was charged with prostitution.