RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A choir director from a Montclair church was sentenced to four years and four months in state prison Thursday for committing sexual acts with a 15-year-old choirgirl.
Mark William Michaels, 54, pleaded guilty July 11 to three counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child of 14 or 15 years.
Michaels, of Upland, was arrested June 5 after a Montclair police officer saw him committing a sex act with the girl in a parked car in an alley in the 10200 block of Central Avenue.
In addition to imposing a prison sentence, Judge Michael Libutti ordered Michaels to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and pay $1,342 in restitution.
The money will reimburse the girl's counseling expenses, Deputy District Attorney Jason Anderson said in West Valley Superior Court.
Michaels' pleas came as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, who agreed Thursday to dismiss Michaels' six remaining criminal counts, which include five counts of lewd or lascivious acts and one count of possessing child pornography.
The San Bernardino County Probation Department prepared a pre-sentencing report about Michaels' case that was made public after Thursday's hearing.
The report details an officer's interviews with Michaels, the girl, and others.
The girl told the officer she's known Michaels for about two and a half years through the choir at the church they both attend, Bethany Baptist Church at 9950 Monte Vista Ave.
The girl told the officer she began committing sex acts with Michaels in January or February. The encounters typically took place at the church, according to the report.
Michaels told the officer he suffers from sexual addiction, which "blurred the lines from right and wrong and kept the affair going," the report says.
"The defendant is truly sorry for his actions and confirms he will enter a sexual rehabilitation clinic and halfway house program to stay out of jail and develop into a healthy individual, free from sex addiction upon his release," the report says.
"He further apologized three times to the victim, family, his wife and other people affected by committing this crime.
"He is 'coping the best I can' and understands he will now be a lifetime sex registrant."