A Warren man has been sentenced to 38 to 114 months in state prison as well as several years of supervision after pleading guilty to three felony charges lodged against him earlier this year after using Facebook messenger to set up a sexual encounter with an underage girl.

In a news release issued Tuesday, District Attorney Cody Brown thanked the “hard work and dedication of officers, working in a covert capacity” to remove Nathan Lang, 33, a child predator, from the community’s streets.

In March, after a month-long investigation, Lang was arrested for making lewd and explicit statements about having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old child. Lang also sent numerous sexually explicit photos to the victim and told her they could be together as long as she kept it a secret.

Lang was taken into custody when he arrived to meet the child near Morck Park in the city of Warren. Lang expecting to find his victim, was met by law enforcement officers who had been working tirelessly to stop him.

“Officers then conducted surveillance of the targeted location,” the affidavit stated. “Another officer involved conducted surveillance of the defendant’s residence and observed him leave the mentioned residence after advising that he was on his way to the target location. Officers observed the defendant parked in the area of the target location, as officer noticed the defendant, the defendant messaged the covert account stating he was ‘Here.'”

As part of the sentencing Lang also is required to register under Megan’s Law for life.

“I would like to thank all the officers who were involved in the arrest of Nathan Lang,” Brown said. “Their hard work and determination help make our community safer for our children. This case is a clear example of what the WRATH (Web Response Against Traffickers and Harmers) program was created for, to identify and remove dangerous predators from our community and to continue to protecting our most vulnerable.”

Lang pleaded guilty in July to first-degree felony criminal attempt statutory sexual assault, second-degree felony criminal attempt obscene and other sexual materials and third-degree felony unlawful contact or communication with a minor in front of Judge Gregory Hammond.