CANYON CITY – Jason Scott Dole, 27, was convicted of three counts of third-degree sexual abuse last week in Grant County Circuit Court.

Dole was accused in connection with sexual contacts last spring with a 16-year-old girl he became acquainted with at work in John Day.

He pleaded guilty Sept. 4 to the three counts and appeared Sept. 17 for sentencing. The court dismissed 19 additional charges of sex abuse and 22 counts each of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and sexual misconduct.

For each of the three counts, Judge W.D. Cramer Jr. ordered that Dole be placed on supervised probation for 24 months, complete 40 hours of community service, serve 20 days in jail and pay fines of $883. He was also ordered to pay $212.18 in restitution to Regence Blue Cross of Oregon. He also must register as a sex offender.

Defense attorney Markku Sario urged the court to consider that his client “is not a pedophile” when deciding the sentence.

Cramer acknowledged that relationship circumstances can be complicated, but that he was convinced that there was an opportunistic “taking advantage of age” in this case.

“I want to be clear that a relationship between a 26-year-old and a 16-year-old is inappropriate,” Cramer said.

He said it’s important to make a point to the defendant and to the community that “this behavior” is wrong.

While Dole was ordered not to have contact with the victim and her immediate family, he will be allowed to have contact with his own young children.