A Seward man pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges relating to attempted sex with an underage girl.
Anthony Ronald Laughard, 43, was charged last year following an undercover sting operation conducted by the state police.
According to court records, Laughard made contact with a person through online communication he believed to be with the mother of a 12-year-old girl and agreed to pay the woman $350 for a sexual encounter. Laughard was actually communicating with an undercover agent, police said.
He was arrested and charged when he arrived at a predetermined location in North Huntingdon for a rendezvous with the child, according to court records.
Laughard pleaded guilty to three felony counts: unlawful contact with a minor for a sexual offense, attempted rape of a child and criminal use of a communications device. Prosecutors dismissed a second charge of unlawful contact with a minor and attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child.
Deputy Attorney General Angela Raver said that in return for Laughard’s guilty plea, prosecutors pledged to not bring additional charges related other potential criminal conduct discovered as part of the investigation.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said Laughard, who has been free since posting a $250,000 bail in June 2023, will be sentenced in about three months.
