A former Carbon County resident was sentenced to a probation period on Tuesday afternoon on a charge of indecent assault involving a young girl.

Robert Joseph Remes Jr., 22, formerly of Lansford and now of Northampton, was placed on probation for two years by Judge Joseph J. Matika. Remes previously pleaded to the charge. In exchange for the plea the district attorney's office dropped counts of corruption of a minor, unlawful contact with a minor and another count of indecent assault.He was arrested by state police at Lehighton after they received a complaint from the office of children and youth on Aug. 19, 2015. The family of the victim reported the incident.Remes admitted having inappropriate contact with a then 7-year-old girl in the Weissport area. The girl is now 10.On Tuesday, the mother of the victim spoke on behalf of Remes. She said the incident was out of character for the defendant, who she has known for a long time. She also noted he was dealing with health problems. She said she didn't feel further jail time would help Remes. Remes spent 13 days in jail on the charges before making bail.Defense attorney Paul Levy, of the public defender's office, said the case was a difficult one not only for the victim and her family but also Remes and his family.Remes told Matika, "I just want to say I'm sorry for everything that happened. I made a mistake and I swear it will never happen again."Matika said it was unusual for the parent of a victim to speak on behalf of the defendant in such a case.He added, "This is the type of conduct that scares the victim and family for a long time."Matika said he would take into consideration the fact that the victim's mother spoke for the defendant.In addition to the probation period, Matika ordered Remes must register as a sexual offender for the next 15 years as the charge falls under the provisions of Megan's Law. It was noted an evaluation by the state sexual assessment board determined that Remes was not a sexually violent predator. If the board had determined he was, then the registration period would have been for life.Remes must also render 100 hours of community service, submit to a sexual offenders evaluation, pay court costs of about $1,000 and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation.