A former Carbon County resident pleaded guilty in the county court on Monday to one count of corruption of a minor, admitting he surfed the Internet and made contact with a young girl wanting her to transmit nude photos of herself.

But Timothy J. Smith, 45, formerly of Lehighton and now residing in Dayton, Ohio, thought he was communicating with a 13-year-old female in Virginia when he was really conversing with a state trooper with the computer crimes unit.Troopers said Smith asked the female to send photos of herself in various stages of undress.Troopers then obtained a search warrant for Smith's home and his computer and alleges his contact with the crimes unit was not his first contact with a young girl.Smith entered his plea before President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II. In a plea agreement with the district attorney's office, three felony counts, two of contact or communication with a minor-sexual abuse, and one of criminal use of a communication device, were dropped for the plea to the misdemeanor one charge.Defense attorney Matthew Rapa told Nanovic his client was "embarrassed" being in court on such charges. He said the incident has cause him problems with his family and his marriage. He said Smith sought help after the incident and cooperated fully with police.Rapa noted that the computer search did not turn up any child pornography.Smith told Nanovic, "I'm very, very sorry. It won't happen again."Rapa said Smith moved to Ohio and is employed and is continuing to get help. He noted a history of mental health issues in the family.Rapa asked Nanovic to impose a probationary sentence, noting Smith had no prior contacts with law enforcement.Nanovic said the state police investigation indicated such contacts with young women had been occurring for some time.He said to Smith, "You're preying on children."These are not victimless crimes." Nanovic added. "I realize in this case the victim was an undercover cop, but you didn't know that."Nanovic also said, "This type of conduct affects children the rest of their lives."Under state sentencing guidelines for the charge he pleaded, the recommended low-end sentence is probation to up to three months in jail.Nanovic sentenced him to serve one to 12 months in prison followed by two years or probation.Nanovic also ordered Smith to pay a fine of $1,000, do not use or have any type of contact with a computer or the Internet, or access any pornography, get a mental health evaluation and follow any recommendations for treatment, pay court costs of about $1,000, and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole and probation.He will begin the jail term on Saturday at noon.