NEW ULM — A Cottonwood man has been found guilty of soliciting a minor for sex, Brown County law enforcement said Thursday.

On Wednesday, a judge issued a guilty verdict for Paul Raymond Lund, Jr., 47. A sentencing hearing for Lund will be set within a week.

Wednesday’s verdict came after a five-hour court trial was held for Lund on July 27. After closing arguments in the case were made, Judge Todd Westphal took the case under advisement.

Lund was one of eight suspects who were arrested during a sex sting operation in Brown County in August 2017. As part of the sting, undercover investigators posted online ads, acting as 16-year-old girls willing to trade sex for money or drugs. Lund corresponded with an undercover investigator, and later arrived, with $267 in cash, at a Springfield residence where he was met by law enforcement.

During his trial, Lund testified that he thought he was corresponding with a girl older than 18.

Lund was one of two Lyon County men arrested as part of the sting operation. Lawrence David Depyper, 70, was also charged with agreeing to hire a minor for sex. Depyper was convicted of those charges in Brown County District Court on July 6. A sentencing hearing for Depyper is scheduled for August 20.

In a news release, Assistant Brown County Attorney Dan Kalk said the verdicts against Lund and Depyper were victories for the community.

“Our children are not for sale,” Kalks said. “These verdicts send a clear message to would-be predators that they will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Jeff Hohensee, senior investigator with the New Ulm Police Department, said the sting operation showed “how prevalent sex trafficking and underage prostitution is in our smaller rural communities.”

Hohensee supervised the two-day sting operation, New Ulm Police said. Hohensee said more than 50 suspects responded to the online advertisements and were interested in having sex for money.

New Ulm Police said they were assisted by the Springfield Police Department, the Brown County and Nicollet County Sheriff’s Departments, and the Mankato Department of Public Safety. The sting was funded by grands from the Minnesota Women’s Foundation and the Office of Justice Programs, Police said.