A former Texas probation officer is going to federal prison for almost 16 years. He tried to set up a meeting to abuse an 11-year-old girl, prosecutors said.

Steven Dale Criddle is 51. He is from Bryan, Texas. He worked as a juvenile probation officer for Brazos County. He pled guilty to a federal charge called attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. That means he tried to lure a child for sex. It is a serious federal crime.

A judge sentenced Criddle to 190 months in prison. That is almost 16 years. U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle handed down the sentence. He did it on July 1. U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced it. Combs leads the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

This case stands out for one big reason. Criddle held a job people trust. He worked inside the system built to protect kids. Brazos County online records show he had worked there since at least 2015.

Court records lay out how the crime happened. Criddle talked to someone on the dark web. The dark web is a hidden part of the internet that regular search engines do not show. He thought that person was a mom. He thought she would let him abuse her 11-year-old daughter. The two made plans to meet.

On September 28, 2025, Criddle got in his car. He drove from Bryan to Wylie, Texas. That drive took about three hours. He planned to abuse the child there. Law enforcement arrested him when he got to Wylie.

Criddle admitted why he made the trip. He told investigators he drove to Wylie to abuse the child. He also admitted he had child sexual abuse images on his phone.

The FBI worked the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Anderson handled it in court. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood. That is a U.S. Department of Justice program. It started in 2006. It links federal, state, and local police. Their goal is to stop people who target kids online and to find and help victims. U.S. Attorneys run the program with help from a special DOJ unit.

Bryan sits in Brazos County, in East Texas. It is a few hours north of the Rio Grande Valley. Wylie, where Criddle was caught, is a Dallas suburb. It is more than three hours from Bryan by car.

Criddle quit his county job soon after his September arrest, according to KBTX, which cited county records.

Criddle now sits in federal custody serving his sentence.

This case is a reminder that people who work inside the justice system are not above the law. For parents in South Texas and across the state, it is also a reminder to know who spends time with their kids, both online and off.