By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder's former chief of staff pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor pornography charge.
Eric Feltner entered his plea before Cole County Judge Richard Callahan.
He initially faced two counts of providing pornographic materials to a minor, but his conviction is for only one misdemeanor count of public display of explicit sexual material.
Police say Feltner believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl, who in reality was an undercover officer.
Feltner was given a 6-month suspended sentence and must perform 100 hours of community service.
He's also not allowed to use a computer for two years, unless it's for business purposes, and he's on unsupervised probation for two years.
Cole County prosecutor Mark Richardson says Feltner will also be required to register as a sex offender, as a result of his guilty plea.
In a statement, Lt. Governor Peter Kinder said, in part, "It is my hope that this case will serve as a deterrent for others who would prey on children via the Internet and make it clear that there is a zero-tolerance policy in state government for this kind of disgusting behavior."