Mugshot for Rick Crawford. (Seminole County Sheriff's Office)
A former NASCAR driver is behind bars on federal charges after driving to a Florida restaurant last week to try and have sex with a 12-year-old girl.
Rick Crawford, 59, was arrested Wednesday in Lake Mary following an undercover sting operation involving a deputy with the Seminole County Sheriff posing as the girl’s father.
“She’s naked in the back, do you want to get out and see her?” the undercover said to Crawford, according to the complaint.
Crawford was arrested when he tried to get out of his pick-up truck, the court papers say.
According to the complaint, the sting began when Crawford responded last month to a Craigslist ad that said, “taboo is looking for taboo.”
Over the next two weeks Crawford and the undercover communicated online.
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The court papers say Crawford agreed to pay between $50 and $75 to have sex with the girl.
Crawford told investigators he would not have had sex with a minor.
"He stated he showed up to see whether or not the father had a 12-year-old girl but claimed he would not have gone through with it if the child had been underage,” the complaint says.
Crawford was charged with attempting to entice a minor for sex. He was jailed without bail.
Crawford raced in the NASCAR truck-series from 1997 to 2013.
He started in 336 races and tallied five victories, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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