COLUMBIA (WACH / AP) - A former state Highway Patrol trooper has been sentenced to three years for child pornography on his computer that included photos he took of underage girls while on duty during Myrtle Beach Bike Week.

United States Attorney Bill Nettles says 34-year-old Randy L. Quinn, Jr., of Seneca was sentenced Thursday.

Prosecutors say in May 2011, federal agents traced pornography photos posted on a file-sharing Web site to Quinn's home using his computer's IP address. Thousands of images of child pornography were discovered on his seized laptop.

A search warrant was executed at Quinn's home in June 2011. A laptop containing thousands of images of child pornography was seized, according to authorities. Agents discovered that Quinn, while on duty as a highway patrol officer, photographed young girls in swimsuits as they played on the beach.

Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins handled the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

Quinn was fired in June 2011. He had worked for the agency since March 2006.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)