MANITOWOC, Wis. (WFRV) – A 25-year-old Ohio man was sentenced to two years of probation for intending to take a 12-year-old Manitowoc County girl he met online back to his home state.

Court records show that Matthew R. Dice was sentenced on September 15 and placed on probation to the Department of Corrections.

Dice was found guilty after pleading no contest to a charge of interfering with child custody. A charge of child enticement was dismissed but read in.

Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office deputies went to a residence on February 27, 2021, around 2:30 a.m., in Eaton for a potential trespassing violation.

According to officials, the homeowner noticed a pick-up truck in his driveway that was stuck in snow. The homeowner stated a passenger fled from the truck when he approached.

After deputies arrived, they identified Dice, who was then 22 years old, from Uniontown, Ohio, as the driver, and later, the passenger was identified as a 12-year-old girl from rural Valders.

After conducting interviews and searching the electronic devices owned by both individuals, it was determined that Dice met the girl online and went to the location to pick her up and take her back to Ohio.