Lifetime sex offender registration mandated for Danville man
May 29—WILKES-BARRE — A Danville man snared by the self-proclaimed Luzerne County Predator Catcher in an online child sex sting was sentenced in Luzerne County Court on Thursday.
Kenneth Wayne Schmidt III, 38, apologized to his family for his actions before Judge Michael T. Vough sentenced him to one-to-two years, less two days, at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on charges of criminal solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault and criminal use of communication facility. Schmidt pled guilty to the charges Feb. 3.
Kingston police charged Schmidt after he was confronted by Musa Harris, the self-proclaimed Luzerne County Predator Catcher, on Aug. 9, according to court records.
Musa, pretending to be an almost 16-year-old girl, was contacted online by Schmidt who initially asked if she "wanted to do something."
During the online conversations, court records say, Schmidt sent the purported girl nude pictures of himself along with a picture of condoms. He mentioned he would use his marijuana card to buy pot from a "weed factory," court records said.
Schmidt showed up at a predetermined site in Kingston believing he was meeting the girl but was confronted by Harris.
Schmidt is subject to lifetime registration of his address as a sex offender under the state's Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.
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