A 44-year-old Powell man is headed to prison for apparently trying to set up a sexual encounter with a 16-year-old girl last year.

James B. Wall II accepted a three- to five-year prison sentence, imposed by District Court Judge Steven Cranfill last month, for attempted third-degree sexual abuse of a minor.

The sentence was the result of a deal between the prosecution and defense accepted by Cranfill.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Dylon Miears of Powell received probation for having served as something of a middle-man, most specifically giving the teenage girl’s phone number to Wall.

Charging documents say that, after getting her number from Miears, Wall sent the teenager a series of sexually explicit text messages one day last July. In the texts, he referred to himself as “daddy” and said he would be “FINALLY” satisfying a fetish with the encounter.

When questioned about the messages by Powell police, Wall admitted he was wrong to have sent them, but insisted he had no intention of actually having sex with the teenager, according to charging documents.

The teen told police Wall had also tried to kiss her when she stopped by his downtown store that day. But Wall denied that, saying, “it was like a hug goodbye and (the teen) only thought he was trying to kiss her,” police investigator Michael Hall recounted in an affidavit.

Wall entered an “Alford Plea” to the felony charge, meaning he continues to claim his innocence but admits the evidence against him would likely persuade a judge or jury to find him guilty.

“I just wanted to say that, as a new child in Christ, I’m really sorry for sending those messages and talking to that young lady that way,” Wall said in court on April 15. “That was really disrespectful and wrong and I apologize.”

The plea deal involved the Park County Attorney’s Office agreeing to reduce the charge from an original count of sexual exploitation of a child (which carries a five-year minimum sentence).

At the time of the crime, Wall was on probation for a 2012 conviction for delivering ecstasy. He spent more than a month in jail after his initial arrest in July, bonded out, then spent additional time in jail in December.

Miears was initially charged with felony counts aiding and abetting sexual exploitation of a child and delivering hydrocodone (for allegedly selling Wall four painkillers that day). However, as part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped the drug charge and reduced the charge connected to the sex crime to reckless endangering.

Miears pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor endangering charge on Wednesday and was sentenced to a year of supervised probation as part of a plea agreement adopted by Judge Cranfill, said Deputy Park County Attorney Tim Blatt.

Blatt said Miears’ mental condition played a role in the agreement that was reached.