An Oak Harbor man is facing charges in Skagit County after being caught in an online sting operation targeting people who solicit children for sex over the Internet, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged Timothy N. Brandt, 35, in Skagit County Superior Court on May 2 with commercial sexual abuse of a minor, communication with a minor for immoral purposes and attempted rape of a child in the third degree.

Brandt pleaded not guilty to the charges last week.

Brandt is currently in the Skagit County jail on $25,000 bail, according to the jail roster.

The Skagit Multiple Agency Response Team conducted the investigation by first placing an ad on Craigslist. An undercover officer pretended to be a 14-year-old girl.

A man later identified as Brandt responded to the ad through “electronic communication,” the police report states. The agent advised Brandt that she was 14 years old, but he continued exchanging sex-related comments with her.

Brandt agreed to pay the girl $50 for sex and furnish her with alcohol, according to the report. They made arrangements to meet at a park in Mount Vernon, where the members of the team arrested him.

Brandt was carrying $50 in cash, two bottles of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and some condoms, according to the report.

Brandt allegedly admitted to officers that he intended to pay a child for one hour of sex; he said he had a history of responding to similar encounters from Craigslist but never before with an underage girl, the report states.

Another man, Anacortes resident Erickson A. Powell, 27, was also caught in the sting operation after agreeing to pay an agent posing as a 14-year-old girl for sex. After he was arrested, he told police that he intended to talk to the girl about Jesus, even though he arrived at the meeting place with condoms and cash, according to court documents.