Indiana County man sentenced to jail for trying to meet for sex with teen girl in Arnold

An Indiana County man was sentenced to two to four years in a state prison Monday for attempting to meet for sex in Arnold with someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl.

James Carter Sears, 47, of White Township was ordered to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law. After communicating with the person he thought was the girl for two weeks, Sears was met by agents from the state Attorney General’s Office when he arrived at the meeting location Dec. 1, 2021, according to court papers.

Sears pleaded guilty in September to two counts of unlawful contact with a minor. He was given credit for one day served.

An agent from the Attorney General’s Office had been posing as the girl during communication with Sears on social media and by phone. Sears continued the communication after he learned her age, according to police.

He sent her a series of sexually explicit photos of himself and sexual text messages in the weeks leading up to Dec. 1, 2021, when he asked to meet for sex, according to court papers. Police said they found the text message thread on Sears’ phone when he was taken into custody.