LISBON - An East Palestine man who had sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl was sentenced to an indefinite term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center, a probationary facility which serves as an alternative to prison.

Mark Buchner, 49, of 5127 state Route 14, appeared for sentencing Monday in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for a third-degree felony charge of gross sexual imposition. He was placed on probation under community control sanctions for four years, with credit for two days served in the county jail.

Judge C. Ashley Pike also deemed him a Tier II sexual offender, meaning he'll have to register his address with the Sheriff's Office every 180 days for 25 years.

Court documents said the contact with the girl occurred during the summer of 1998 in a vehicle in East Palestine.