RENO COUNTY— A Kansas man who entered a no-contest plea to commercial sexual exploitation of a child was granted two years community corrections, as opposed to a 10-year prison sentence last week.

Jerry Pierce Jr., 47, Hutchinson, was granted the corrections by District Judge Joe McCarville after both the state and defense agreed to departure.

As part of the plea agreement, the state dropped a second charge of misdemeanor sexual battery.

Pierce was arrested after officers were called to a home on West Sherman in Hutchinson on Nov. 14, 2017, on the report from an underage girl that Pierce was attempting to have sexual relations with her.

The two also chatted online about having sexual encounters with the agreement that he would pay off a seat belt fine.

District Attorney Keith Schroeder confirmed that — if the two actually had sex — there would be no crime because of an oddity in the law.

Pierce will be required to register as a sex offender in this case. According to Schroeder, Pierce has already been registering because of a misdemeanor conviction in New York years ago. He will also be on lifetime post-release supervision and has to pay a $2,500 fine.