FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. -- A police officer was among 21 men arrested in Flagler Beach. Police said the men thought they were going to meet children for sex, but it was part of an elaborate sting.

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Twenty-one men were arrested, all allegedly looking for a thrill at a child's expense.

"It just is amazing, the reservoir of evil that surrounds our community," said State Attorney John Tanner.

Tanner and the chief of Flagler Beach set out to drain that reservoir, at least a little. He teamed up with a group called Perverted Justice, a team of men and women who seek out and expose sexual predators.

The group provided the bait, seemingly underage actors waiting in chatrooms for the predators to bite.

"They were looking for underage females. They were looking to have sex with children," Tanner said.

After a couple of months of explicit chat, the actors set up a meet at either a Flagler Beach house or a Flagler Beach ocean walkway. According to Tanner, all the men came expecting sex with a child.

"These cases are going to hold up in court. These men are going to be convicted," Tanner said.

All 21 men were arrested and charged. Some had already bonded out Tuesday. Possibly the most disappointing was a fellow police officer caught up in the net.

Todd Spikes is a cop in Alabama. Police said he came to meet a young girl. They said, in his car, they found rope and duct tape, but they are not sure what he intended to do with it.

"Like any other time, it is a sad day when a police officer is involved in anything illegal," said Chief Roger Free, Flagler Beach Police Department.

As a testament to how determined the arrested men are, the chief said, one of the suspects who already bonded out was spotted again trolling chatrooms looking for children.