Pediatric resident faces federal charge

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A Mobile doctor is now facing a federal charge.

Murali Krishna Reddy was arrested by Saraland police after they said he was using the internet to solicit a child.

Reddy in one of four who were recently arrested for electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex acts in the past month.

The city of Saraland has a population of a little more than 12,000. Steve Doorman said he is proud to be a resident of the small town.

"We picked this area to settle in because we've always thought it was a nice area, and we felt safe here," said Doorman.

The small police department said it's doing big things to keep it that way.

"It's the best thing I've heard in years," said Doorman.

You used to think about parks and schools to be where sexual predators look for their victims, but the internet has changed that. This is something the Saraland Police Department knows, and resident David Hebert is thankful.

"They feel like they can still get away with it because they are in their own house. Now you've got the cops of Saraland going after them," said Hebert.

Saraland police said they are using the Internet Crimes Against Children Program, and it's working. One of the first arrests was Reddy, a pediatrician.

In a sworn affidavit, the investigator said Reddy placed an ad on Craigslist.

The investigator answered it under the alias of a 15-year-old boy. Police said it wasn’t long before Reddy proposed sexual acts and planned to meet at the mall.

The investigator said a when police arrested Reddy he said, "I’m sorry. I'm sorry. Please, please. I am doing my residency as a doctor at USA Women’s and Children's Hospital and don't want to lose my job. Please, I'm lonely, and please is there any other way?"

Reddy is now charged with coercion and enticement.

"It’s great that they are putting focus and putting officers in charge of issues like that that a lot of people don't know is going on in small towns," said Hebert.

The police department said they only have one investigator that works with the program, and he does it under a grant.