An 18-year-old man who sexually assaulted a young girl in East Lyme received a fully suspended prison sentence Monday in New London Superior Court, but was ordered to serve five years of strict probation and to register as a sexual offender for the next decade.

Travis S. Grieder of Deep River was 16 when he was charged in February 2014 with first-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

His case was automatically transferred from juvenile court to adult court due to the seriousness of the charges.

According to prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman, Grieder had sexual contact with a 7-year-old girl he knew over a period of time in 2012 and 2013.

Grieder pleaded nolo contendere to risk of injury to a minor in exchange for the sentence of five years in prison, fully suspended, followed by five years of sex offender probation.

The plea agreement came about after months of discussions between Ferryman, defense attorney Paul M. Melocowsky and Judge Hillary B. Strackbein. Attorney Priscilla M. Hammond, who had served as a guardian ad litem for the victim, also had input.

The child was too young to be consulted about the plea deal, but her mother said it was the best option in order to avoid a trial, Hammond said.

"This is not a perfect outcome," Ferryman said at the sentencing hearing. "Hopefully the supervision will fulfill the wish of keeping the public safe."

Melocowsky said Grieder faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to 25 years if convicted, so he thought the proposed resolution was the best way to proceed.

"In a way, you're lucky," Judge Hillary B. Strackbein told Grieder. "You're not going to jail. I'm willing to go along with this, but you have to abide by the rules."

She ordered Grieder, who is being electronically monitored, to have no contact with the victim or her family and no contact with any children under 16 unless approved by the Department of Adult Probation.

The judge also ordered Grieder to register as a sexual offender for the next 10 years.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN