Former Disney Channel star Stoney Westmoreland, who once starred on the Disney Channel’s “Andi Mack,” is now facing prison time after he was charged with trying to lure a minor into sex.
The 52-year-old actor was arrested in Salt Lake City after he allegedly used a dating app to send explicit photos to a person he believed to be a 13-year-old boy, then arranged to meet for sex with him.
When Stoney showed up to meet the boy, he was arrested by Salt Lake City Police and members of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. The actor was charged with attempting to entice, seduce or lure a minor by internet or text. He also faces four counts of dealing in materials harmful to minors.
In response to the arrest, the Disney Channel fired him and released a statement that reads:
“Given the nature of the charges and our responsibility for the welfare of employed minors, we have released him from his recurring role and he will not be returning to work on the series which wraps production on its third season next week.”
Westmoreland pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of using interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor and received a two-year sentence. He will also face 10 years of supervised release, will have to register as a sex offender, and will have to comply with DNA collection, according to reports. His computers and electronic devices are also subject to random searches, and he is not allowed to have contact with minors under 18 without adult supervision.
They said Westmoreland contacted a Salt Lake County detective on Grindr, believing that he was 13, and tried to have him come to his hotel for sex. He also reportedly sent the detective sexually explicit photos.
In addition to his role on Andi Mack, Westmoreland has also appeared as a Secret Service agent on eight episodes of Scandal, plus he’s been on NCIS, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul.