MENOMINEE — A Wisconsin man was sentenced to prison after attempting to pay for sex with a minor at a Menominee hotel, instead being caught in a sting operation by law enforcement.

Jeremy Lee Bertrand, 33, of Pound, Wis., pleaded guilty on June 22 to Child Sexually Abusive Activity, a 20-year felony. He was sentenced to 18 months to 20 years in prison for his role in the decoy-style human trafficking sting operation in the city of Menominee. His sentence was handed down July 9 by Judge Christopher S. Ninomiya in the 41st Circuit Court.

Bertrand’s conviction stemmed from an incident on March 19. The Menominee Police Department, the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Michigan State Police worked in a collaborative operation with the Genesse County Sheriff’s Office and the Upper Peninsula Human Trafficking Task Force by chatting online with potential customers intending to engage in child sexually abusive activity at a local hotel in Menominee. Bertrand answered one of the online ads, agreed to pay for sex with a minor, and was found to have $200 on his person for the transaction.

“Mr. Bertrand is a deeply disturbed, deviant predator,” said Menominee County prosecutor Jeffrey T. Rogg, who announced the sentence in a press released Sunday. “His sentence needed to reflect the seriousness of the offense and protect vulnerable teenaged girls in our community from him.”

Rogg noted Bertrand has young daughters of his own.

“Judge Ninomiya has sent a very clear message to Mr. Bertrand and the community that our government will not tolerate this predatory behavior in a civilized society,” said Rogg.