Mount Solon man snagged in online sting sentenced to prison
STAUNTON — A Mount Solon man caught in a recent online sting operation by the Staunton Police Department was given a five-year prison term Tuesday following a sentencing hearing.
Jason S. Smith Jr., 28, was nabbed June 28 in Staunton after he thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl he'd spoke with online. Smith, however, had been conversing with an undercover police officer conducting a sting operation targeting potential online predators.
In Staunton Circuit Court on Tuesday, Smith pleaded guilty to charges of child solicitation, attempted indecent liberties with a child and possession of a Schedule I or II drug.
Staunton Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Joseph Perry said Smith met the undercover officer through Facebook and was immediately told the fictitious girl was 14 years old.
"He replied that he was twice her age," Perry said.
Smith asked if the bogus teen had a boyfriend and if she'd ever had sex before. Through their online conversations, Smith asked her for sex and said "she could trust him," according to Perry.
After getting an address and making arrangements to meet the fictitious teen in Staunton, Perry said Smith told the online persona to "be prepared. I'm about to teach you everything."
But when Smith arrived in Staunton, police arrested him on the sex charges. Police also found a pipe inside his vehicle with methamphetamine residue, resulting in the drug possession charge.
Perry said Smith told police he was in town to buy auto parts and to just "say hi" to the bogus teen. While being interviewed by authorities, Perry said Smith claimed he didn't know it was illegal to have sex with a minor.
In a plea agreement, Smith was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 years suspended, giving him five years to serve. He was also placed on five years of supervised probation.
Smith remains at Middle River Regional Jail in Verona while awaiting his transfer to the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Mount Solon man snagged in online sting sentenced to prison
