Yearbook photographer pleads guilty to propositioning teen

A former yearbook photographer pleaded guilty Wednesday to propositioning a Kiski Area High School student for sex during a photo shoot in 2008.

Gary T. Gibson, 50, of Vandergrift accepted a plea bargain yesterday in which prosecutors agreed to drop a more serious felony charge of sexual assault. In return, Gibson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of corruption of a minor.

He was sentenced by Westmoreland County Judge Debra Pezze to serve two years of probation.

Assistant District Attorney Tom Grace said the now 19-year-old girl and her family agreed to the plea bargain.

"In keeping with the wishes of the victim, we offered the deal. The corruption of a minor charge is what mostly resembles what he did," Grace said.

Gibson owns Studio G Photography in Vandergrift and had a contract to take pictures for the high school yearbook. School officials terminated the contract after Gibson's arrest.

Gibson was charged last year after the girl, who was a 17-year-old senior at the time, reported to police that the man hired to take her picture for the yearbook had offered her $100 to perform a sex act.

The girl told police Gibson made the proposition on Sept. 17, 2008, after she returned to the studio to have her picture re-taken.

At a preliminary hearing last year, the girl testified that Gibson asked her if she knew of other girls at the school who would be willing to pose nude for photos or who would send pornographic pictures of themselves to his cell phone.

During a police interrogation a week later, Gibson admitted to committing an inappropriate act. According to court records, Gibson said, "I can't believe I was that stupid."

"No money changed hands, but there were extremely inappropriate comments directed at a minor," Grace said.

Pezze said she approved the plea bargain because Gibson had no prior criminal record. The charge Gibson pleaded guilty to carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison.