PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. -- The police chief who lead a crusade against Internet sex predators resigned after explicit sex chats were found on his department computer, according to a report in TheCitizen.com.

Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray stepped down after being confronted about the explicit material on his computer by the City Manager.

LINK: TheCitizen.com

The sex chats are not illegal, but are against city policy.

Murray's department has an active Internet sex crimes unit that has gained regional notoriety for arrests of on line sex predators. Stings set up by the unit have received extensive media coverage, included here on wsbtv.com and WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News. The Georgia State Senate even passed a resolution praising Murray and the unit for "their ongoing undercover operation to crack down on online predators." To read that resolution click here.

"I can tell you it’s like going to a big, empty field and putting a big plate of ice cream on a blanket and walking away for an hour - and coming back and finding out how many ants and flies are there," Murray said in one interview about the unit's undercover work on the Internet.

A check of Murray's computer by the city's computer technician turned up the sex chats and searches for X-rated material, according to city officials.

Murray had been discussing resigning with city officials since 2006, but told the city manager he was leaving his post immediately when shown the material found on his computer, according to TheCitizen.com article written by Cal Beverly. Murray's resignation was effective January 1.

"After eighteen years, Chief Murray has expressed a desire to move on to the next chapter of his life, and we respect those wishes," said Peachtree City Mayor Harold Logsdon when the move was announced.