Georgia offender arrested in Denver-area sex sting

Authorities say a convicted child molester from Georgia has been arrested in suburban Denver for trying to lure a teenage girl to have sex with him.

The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office charged 51-year-old James Lee Pierce on Tuesday with crimes including attempted sexual assault on a child and Internet luring. Prosecutors say Pierce traveled from Georgia to Denver by bus, believing he was going to have sex with a teen, who was actually an undercover detective.

An arrest affidavit says Pierce sent the detective sexually explicit messages and photos through a social networking site for months.

The documents say Pierce was convicted of aggravated child molestation in 1992 and sentenced to five years of confinement and 15 years of probation. Pierce was in jail and documents do not list an attorney.