Female Internet Predator Gets No Jail

(South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania) In November 2005, 31-year-old Melissa Ann Arnold, was charged with unlawful contact with a minor for allegedly plotting to lure a 13-year-old Australian boy, via the Internet and by telephone, for sex. Arnold had offered to arrange for the boy to travel from Australia to Pennsylvania so the two could hook up.

The 13-year-old boy's father prompted notification to authorities after finding suspicious emails from Arnold to his son. Arnold, a mother of two, was booked and released on $50,000 bail.

In the latest development, Arnold, now 32, pleaded guilty to corruption of a minor and Lehigh County Court Judge Robert L. Steinberg sentenced her to two years probation and imposed a fine of $1,000. The judge also ordered her not to have contact with the victim and for her computer equipment to be destroyed. It's not known whether Arnold will have to register as a sex offender.

It's probably uncommon for an Internet child sex predator to get no jail. I'd say the seriousness of the offense is being neglected.