COEUR d'ALENE - A St. Maries man was recently sentenced to serve up to 12 years in prison for lewd conduct with a 14-year-old girl and using the Internet to entice a child.

Andrew L. Verrinder, 27, pleaded guilty to the offense on Feb. 13, 2013.

According to reports, Verrinder met multiple 13- to 17-year-old girls via Facebook over a two-year period and asked if they would date or "cuddle" with him.

Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh pointed out, "This defendant's conduct is an example of many other individuals who use the Internet to exploit children sexually."

Verrinder has prior misdemeanor convictions for providing false information to an officer, inattentive driving, and disturbing the peace, which related to another incident involving solicitation of a young girl.

"This is exactly the kind of individual the criminal-justice system is intended to protect society from," said Kootenai County Deputy Prosecutor Josh Studor.

Verrinder's need for extensive in-patient sex offender treatment, his prior convictions, and the serious nature of his current offense determined that such a long sentence was appropriate, according to 1st District Court Judge Ben Simpson. The first two years of the sentence will be fixed, and the remaining 10 years will be indeterminate, with credit for time served.

"Judge Simpson's sentence appropriately reflected the seriousness of the crime and the risk Mr. Verrinder poses to young girls. It both protects society from Mr. Verrinder committing similar crimes while providing him with an opportunity to utilize counseling while in prison," McHugh said.

McHugh praised the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, the Benewah County Sheriff's Department, and the North Idaho Sexual Offender Task Force, which investigates and prosecutes cases relating to technology-based crimes against children with the help of Studor.

"Without technology and training utilized by the Task Force, many of these crimes would go undetected," McHugh said.