Pleasant Gap man from viral Facebook Live pleads guilty to attempted sex crimes
A Pleasant Gap man pleaded guilty Friday to attempting to meet an underage girl for sex and requesting sexually explicit photos.
William Kephart, 47, pleaded guilty to one felony count each of attempted sexual abuse of a child, attempted corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility.
He is expected to be sentenced to 11 1/2 months to 23 1/2 months in the Centre County Correctional Facility, followed by three years of probation.
The negotiated plea agreement also requires Kephart to participate in a treatment program, along with registering as a sex offender for 25 years.
Kephart sent lewd photos, videos and messages to a Facebook account that belonged to a Cambria County man who masqueraded as a teenage girl, Spring Township police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
Kephart drove in November 2019 to State College to meet with the girl, but was instead confronted by the man who recorded the interaction on Facebook Live. The video was viewed tens of thousands of times.
Centre County Assistant Public Defender Julia Dellinger declined to comment.
Kephart has been detained at the county jail since Aug. 21. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 4.