Ex-firefighter gets reduced sentence in child luring case

MAYS LANDING, N.J. (AP) — A former Atlantic City firefighter convicted of trying to have a sex with an online acquaintance he thought was a 14-year-old girl has had his sentence reduced.

William Case, of Galloway Township, had received an eight-year state prison term in June 2012 after being convicted on nearly a dozen counts in a nonjury trial. But the New Jersey Supreme Court vacated that sentence last month, ruling unanimously that the judge incorrectly determined that Case was at risk of re-offending due to an alleged history of trolling for young girls online.

The justices found that was speculation without evidence and ordered a new sentencing hearing.

The Press of Atlantic City reports that Case received a six-year sentence on Friday, which means he's now eligible for parole since he has served more than 33 months in prison. But he will still be subject to lifetime parole supervision and must register as a sex offender.

Under his initial sentence, the 32-year-old Case would not have been eligible for parole until April 2016.

Case was arrested in September 2008 after arriving for a meeting with the teen. He then learned he had been chatting with an Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office detective.

Case had argued at trial that he only intended to speak with the girl, not have sex with her.

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