"He violated a sacred trust. He wasn’t just the guy next door. He was the minister. He was the youth counselor," said Montgomery County Judge Joseph A. Smyth, referring to Smith.

The judge also ordered Smith to complete 10 years’ probation, meaning Smith will be under court supervision for at least 18 years. Smith, formerly of the 100 block of Theresa Lane, Franconia, also must report his address to state police for the rest of his life to comply with Megan’s Law.

The judge concluded that Smith, a married father of four daughters, does not meet the legal criteria to be declared a sexually violent predator under Megan’s Law.

"But he is susceptible to temptation itself. He is not to serve as a counselor with people of the opposite sex during probation and parole," Smyth said.

Smith is the former minister and supervisor of the youth group at North Penn Church of Christ, 423 Derstine Ave., Lansdale. The judge, rejecting pleas for leniency from Smith’s lawyer, William R. McElroy, said he was troubled by the fact Smith’s contact with the girl spanned several months.

"This is not an isolated incident. It was a persistent course of conduct over a period of time," said Smyth, adding Smith had months to reconsider his actions and stop the conduct. "It’s a sad day when you have a 44-year-old minister who hasn’t thought about the consequences of his acts."

In January, Smith, who now lives in New Jersey, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse in connection with incidents that occurred with the teenage girl.

"Certainly, if I could I would erase it all," a teary-eyed Smith testified Wednesday. "I broke that trust and I take responsibility for it. I will go from this day on and do the best I can. I’m sorry."

"This isn’t some stranger on the street. This is someone who spent time with a child to make sure he got what he wanted," Ashcroft argued. "He’s a predator with a silver tongue. Once he’s in jail, he can’t molest any more."

"Chuck Smith is not a threat to society. He is not a threat to children. He is a helper. He has helped make this world a better place," Smith’s brother, Dirk, testified.

Ashcroft argued the fact that Smith has been able to gain the trust of so many people, even after his conviction, is why society must be protected.

"We worry how this will effect her spiritual life. This has been a very difficult thing for our family to go through," the victim’s father testified.

A police investigation of Smith began in May 2005 after the girl reported to her school counselor that she had sexual relations with Smith at the church.

Church elders previously said Smith was terminated from his ministerial post after the allegations came to light. The church cooperated fully with investigators.

The girl, according to court papers, told investigators she exchanged computer messages, text messages and had telephone conversations with Smith.

"(The girl) told me that a number of these messages contained sexually explicit language explaining oral sex and sexual intercourse in graphic terms and Smith would talk about things that he wanted to do to her," Lansdale Detective James L. Waltrop wrote in the criminal complaint.

In the fall of 2004, while the girl was at Smith’s Franconia home with other youths, Smith followed the girl into a wooded area during a game called "manhunt," and forced the girl to touch him inappropriately, according to the criminal complaint.

The girl reported another incident, during which Smith allegedly kissed and groped her, occurred on the property of the Coventry Christian School in Lower Pottsgrove in February 2005, court papers indicate.

The incident did not occur during a school-sponsored event. School officials explained that other groups and churches occasionally rent space at the school for various functions.

In April 2005, the girl went to the Lansdale church after school and Smith sexually assaulted her while they were alone in Smith’s office and the church library, detectives said.

Smith originally faced additional charges that he allegedly had indecent contact with a second 15-year-old girl who was a member of the youth group.

However, prosecutors did not proceed against Smith on those charges in light of the fact he pleaded guilty to the most serious charge brought against him in connection with his conduct with the first girl, prosecutors explained previously.

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