A freelance photographer was arrested by Homewood police in an undercover operation, the authorities said.

Marvin Avery Gentry, 57, of Calera, is charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, records show. He was arrested and booked into the Jefferson County jail at 8:56 p.m. Friday. He was released at 3:13 a.m. Saturday after posting $60,000 bond.

Gentry did not immediately return a message seeking comment for this article on Saturday afternoon.

Homewood police Sgt. John Carr said Gentry’s arrest was part of a joint operation by the police department’s Special investigations Unit and the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

The undercover operation took place Thursday and Friday in Homewood and surrounding areas.

The investigation is ongoing, Carr said, and no other details are being released at this time.

Gentry has photographed prep sports and other athletics for AL.com on a freelance basis in recent years. He most recently photographed U.S. Open Cup soccer in Birmingham and the AHSAA Baseball Championship in Jacksonville in May.

He has also worked as a freelancer for USA Today Sports, the Associated Press and several other news outlets, as well as Auburn University at Montgomery, according to his LinkedIn page.

AL.com’s Ashley Remkus contributed to this article.