Ex-Longview officer accused of soliciting minor online gets January trial date

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (KLTV) - A former Longview police officer who was arrested in October in an FBI sting operation appeared in court Wednesday in an arraignment hearing.

Seth Estes Vanover, 50, of Diana, appeared virtually before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura Lothman Lambert in Jacksonville, Fla.

Vanover is charged with online solicitation of a minor. According to federal investigations, Vanover, who has since resigned his position as a lieutenant with the Longview Police Department, used cellphones and personal computers (including hardware owned by the City of Longview) to use social media apps. While using those apps, based on chatlogs provided in the affidavit, it appears that Vanover believed he was speaking with adults who would let him perform sexual acts on their children.

Vanover pleaded not guilty in the hearing. Lambert set a pretrial hearing for Dec. 19 and a trial date for Jan. 3.