NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Talking sex in gay chat rooms and meeting teenage boys was just a way to bring young people to Jesus, says a South Florida youth minister arrested for luring children over the Internet, police say.

The Broward Sheriff's Office arrested Hewart Lee Bennett (pictured), 46, of West Palm Beach Monday. They found him in a North Lauderdale neighborhood after reports that a suspicious person was prowling the area.

Police say Bennett told them he was in the area to talk to young people about coming to the Lord. He was specifically looking for a young man he'd met online, police say.

Police say they found a 15-year-old boy, whose name is being withheld, who they spotted walking away from Bennett's car. The boy told them Bennett asked for directions to his house and demanded he get in the car. The boy said he gave him a fake address and ran. The boy also told investigators he had communicated with Bennett in a gay chat room, where Bennett disguised himself as a young male, police say.

A BSO press release states that the boy said Bennett told him online that he "wanted to come over and have anal sex. And teach me different sexual positions."

Police say Bennett admitted that he talked sex with children online, but they said he told them he described sex acts only to gain their trust, then he could tell them about Jesus.

Based on the alleged admissions, police arrested Bennett and charged him with using a computer service to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child to commit any illegal sexual or lewd act. BSO investigators think Bennett has lured minors to meet him before.