A 39-year-old Vancouver man pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon to engaging in sexually explicit chats with someone he believed was a 12-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and 30 days on a work crew.
Originally, Ryan Lown had been charged with one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, a Class C felony, and sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class B felony. The charge was lowered to one count of luring, a class E felony. Judge Daniel Stahnke sentenced him.
Stahnke accepted the sentence recommended by the defense, citing evidence that Lown has a low risk to reoffend and no criminal history. There was also no actual victim in the crime.
Lown starting speaking with a Renton police officer in October 2011 on Yahoo! chats, under the belief the officer was a young girl. The chats eventually escalated to a sexual nature, leading the Renton officer to contact Vancouver police that March.
