Online predators escape prison time in Plymouth County

[Ian David]

HANOVER -

Only a fraction of men nabbed in police online sex stings in Plymouth County, Mass., went to jail - even though a majority admitted trying to lure children over the Internet, a review of recent records shows.

Of the 34 men charged in online police stings since October 2005, 21 pleaded guilty so far.

But only five served jail time, ranging from 90 days to one year - even though prosecutors asked they all be locked up.

And in three of those cases where the men were sentenced to jail terms, they were set free because they had already served the equivalent of the sentence while awaiting trial, records show.

The 21 men who pleaded guilty in district courts or in Brockton Superior Court received suspended sentences, probation or their cases were continued without a finding. Cases against 13 men are still pending.

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