By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


Sentence has been handed down to a Fenton Township man charged nearly two years ago in a child sex sting operation.

27-year-old Kurtis Statler was charged in June of 2019 with one count of child sexually abusive activity, using a computer/internet to commit a crime, and accosting a child for immoral purposes. He entered a guilty plea last month in Genesee County Circuit Court to an amended count of using a computer to commit a crime in exchange for the other two charges being dropped.

On Monday, he was sentenced to 76 days in jail, which was time already served. Statler must also complete two years of probation and undergo sex-offender treatment and counseling. Under the deal with prosecutors, if he successfully completes six months of probation, the charge will be further reduced.

Statler was among 22 people arrested in an operation run by the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team, or GHOST. Authorities said Statler and the other suspects targeted children for sexual purposes in Genesee County.