KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The now-former Director of Nuclear Energy Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been arrested following an investigation into allegations that he solicited explicit messages and images from underage girls.

Andrew Worrall, 56, faces charges of attempted coercion and enticement, sex trafficking of a child, and exploitation of a child for the purpose of producing child pornography. He is no longer employed at the US Department of Energy's largest national lab, a spokesperson told 6 News.

An investigation began earlier this year after an 18-year-old woman emailed screenshots of text conversations between her and Worrall to an ORNL employee ethics hotline. According to the criminal complaint, she told Worrall that she was 16 years old and the text messages we

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