Officer arrested in prostitution sting while out of town for seminar, sheriff says

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (WGCL/Gray News) - A Georgia man whose job is to protect and serve found himself caught in the middle of a sting operation in late August, authorities say.

Deputy Chief Jason Diprima with the Cartersville Police Department was in Orlando, Florida, in an unmarked DEA government vehicle soliciting prostitution while he was in town for the American Polygraph Association seminar on Aug. 28, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

Grady said Diprima began texting with an undercover detective in Orlando. Eventually, he showed up at a location with alcohol and money in hand with the intention of having sex with the undercover agent. That’s when the police moved in to arrest him, and he allegedly lied about what was going on, WGCL reported.

“You would’ve thought, as a high-ranking police officer, well respected, he would’ve known better … but he didn’t, and now he’s got lots of issues: home issues, work issues, criminal issues. What he’s got going on here is a situation, and he’s in the middle of it,” Judd said during a news conference.

Diprima was taken to the Polk County Jail and later released on a $500 bond.

The Cartersville Police Department has been notified of the arrest.

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