Man gets 1 year for luring minors

BISMARCK - A Bismarck man on Thursday was sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges that he lured a minor and attempted to promote obscenity to a minor.
Joshua Bechtle, 30, will be eligible for work release if approved by the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department, according to South Central District Court Judge Thomas Schneider.
“If we’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s that men and cellphones are probably not a good combination,” defense attorney Thomas Dickson said.
According to Burleigh County Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Pamela Nesvig, Bechtle had a prolific record of using social media platforms, including Facebook, Yahoo! and Kik, to reach out to underage girls, sending lewd photographs and requesting ones in return.
Bechtle was arrested after he sent such a photograph to an undercover police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl, with whom he also attempted to arrange a sexual encounter.
“The majority of the females that were underage basically told him to get lost,” said Nesvig, adding that an evaluation of Bechtle found him to be at moderate to high risk for re-offending.
Bechtle was arrested after he sent such a photograph to an undercover police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl, with whom he also attempted to arrange a sexual encounter.
Dickson asked Schneider for mercy, saying that the requirement of at least 15 years of sex offender registration was punishment enough.
“It really is the ultimate scarlet letter,” said Dickson.“Let’s keep him working and supporting his family,” said Dickson.
Bechtle offered a brief, tearful apology for his actions when asked for comment.
“I just want to say I’m sorry for my actions,” he said.
Before giving his sentencing decision, Schneider took Bechtle to task.
“This wasn’t just a one-time incident. What you were doing was really quite pathetic, to tell you the truth,” Schneider said.