As expected, a 22-year-old Hutchinson area man convicted of electronic solicitation of a child was sentenced to 30-months in prison. That was the sentence handed down by Judge Joe McCarville for Craig Austin Smith.

Craig Austin Smith was also charged with attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child, but had earlier waived his right to a preliminary hearing and entered a “no contest” plea to the electronic solicitation charge, while the state dropped the attempted indecent liberties count.

Smith was convicted of being in contact with what he thought was a 15-year-old girl, but in fact he was actually speaking with Hutchinson Police Detective Scott Carlton. It started on Facebook, but then went to text messaging. Smith apparently sent some sexually explicit text messages of what he wanted to do with the young girl. He apparently indicated he wanted to meet and showed up at a vacant north side apartment where he was placed under arrest.

Friday, both the state and the defense recommended a durational departure sentence of 30-months and Judge McCarville went along with that sentence.

Smith is already serving 16-months for a previous burglary case which goes back to January of 2010. The 30-month sentenced handed down Friday will run consecutive to the sentence of 16-months in the burglary case for a total of 46-months in prison.