Man Who Groped Girl at Fridley Walmart Gets 12 Years of Probation

Nathan William Charles Jones, who pleaded guilty to groping a girl at the Fridley Walmart in 2011 as she stood within a foot of her mother, was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years of supervised probation, according to WCCO.

Jones' case was set to go to trial in January, but store video showing the incident prompted his plea, according to Assistant County Attorney Amy Reed-Hall.

The WCCO report also said Jones' sentence includes:

• $1,000 fine or 100 hours of community service
• Classification as a predeatory sexual offender, with registration requirements
• No contact with the victim
• No contact with other children younger than 18
• No alcohol or controlled substance abuse
• Random tests of his urine

Read the full WCCO article.

Jones' age and the age of the girl at the time of the Dec. 26, 2011,   incident (he was 29 and she was 11) elevated the charge to a felony, Reed-Hall told Patch in January after Jones entered a guilty plea that stopped short of his scheduled trial.

Under law, penalties for a conviction include as many as 25 years of imprisonment plus a conditional-release term and a fine of as much as $35,000—but state sentencing guidelines call for a probationary period such as Jones received.

The criminal complaint filed in 2012 against Jones, now 30, identified him as a resident of Columbia Heights.

Related:

• Dec. 29, 2011:
• Dec. 30, 2011: Police Arrest Man in Fridley Wal-Mart Child-groping Case
• Jan. 3, 2012: Prosecutors Charge Columbia Heights Man with Groping Girl at Fridley Wal-Mart
• Jan. 4, 2012: Read Criminal Complaint in Case of Alleged Groping of Girl at Wal-Mart
• Jan. 23, 2013: Man Charged with Groping Girl at Fridley Walmart Pleads Guilty
• Jan. 24, 2013: Prosecutor: Walmart Video 'Key' to Accused Groper's Guilty Plea