A 68-year-old Oak Harbor man pleaded guilty to a sex offense, but he won’t be spending any time in jail.

Under a plea bargain, Melvin Ross pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court Aug. 31 to communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

Based on the joint recommendation from the prosecution and defense, the judge suspended a one-year sentence and ordered him to pay $1,217 in fines and fees.

Under the conditions of the sentence, Ross must register as a sex offender and will remain on active supervision of the Department of Corrections for two years. He also must obtain a sexual deviancy evaluation and comply with any recommended treatment. He’s not allowed to have contact with girls under the age of 16 during the supervision.

Chief Criminal Prosecutor Colleen Kenimond wrote in an email that this is “a classic case for the plea bargain process,” since both sides had a good deal of risk at trial. The plea bargain, she wrote, protects the community because Ross must register and go through treatment, if recommended.

Detective Laura Price with the Island County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case last year. A 14-year-old girl claimed Ross inappropriately touched her on three occasions, court documents state. The girl told a friend what allegedly happened and the story eventually got to the girl’s mother through a church pastor.