Tyrone Leon Young Bear, 34, Minot, will serve about nine years in the state penitentiary on child pornography-related offenses.

Judge Richard Hagar sentenced him on Wednesday to a flat seven-year sentence on a charge of Class B felony promoting a sexual performance by a minor child and five years in prison, with a requirement that he serve two years, followed by three years of supervised probation, on seven counts of Class C felony possession of child pornography. The sentences on the Class C felonies are concurrent with each other but consecutive to the sentence on the B felony, so he was sentenced to serve about nine years. He will get credit for about 300 days served in the Ward County Jail, plus 40 days off his sentence for good behavior.

Hagar also ordered Youngbear to register as a sex offender and to pay court costs.

Ward County Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany Sorgen had recommended a tougher sentence that would have called for Young Bear to serve a total of 12 years in prison, while defense attorney Katie Miller recommended a sentence that would have called for Young Bear to serve three years. The final decision on sentencing was up to Hagar.

Sorgen pointed out that Young Bear had already been required to register as a sex offender due to a 2008 conviction for sexual abuse of two 12-year-old girls. Miller said he was a “19-year-old kid” at the time of that offense and he has never done anything else like that since. There were no hands-on offenses in this particular case. Miller also pointed out that Sorgen offered a plea deal that required no jail time last month to another defendant who was facing identical charges. Sorgen said the defendant in that particular case had no prior criminal record, enrolled in treatment immediately without prompting, and was in his 40s. She said Young Bear has never completed recommended sex offender treatment and has been convicted for failure to register as a sex offender. An evaluation found that he is at moderate to high risk to reoffend. Young Bear is not entitled to the same sort of break she gave the other defendant, she told Hagar.

“The chances of rehabilitation for Mr. Young Bear are more or less slim to none,” Sorgen told the judge, saying that a long period of incarceration might be the only thing that would make a difference at this point.

Young Bear apologized for his actions and told the judge he is ashamed of his behavior.