A judge said a 5-foot-1 man convicted of sexually assaulting a child was too small to survive in prison, and gave him 10 years of probation instead.

His crimes deserved a long sentence, District Judge Kristine Cecava said, but she worried that Richard W. Thompson, 50, would be at a disadvantage in prison due to his height.

"You are a sex offender, and you did it to a child," she said. But, she said, "That doesn't make you a hunter. You do not fit in that category."

Thompson will be electronically monitored the first four months of his probation, and he was told to never be alone with someone under age 18 or date or live with a woman whose children were under 18. Cecava also ordered Thompson to get rid of his pornography.

He faces 30 days of jail each year of his probation unless he follows its conditions closely. This kills me, 30 days for each year of probation. Even if he blew it all, thats only 300 days. He was convicted of penetrating a 13 year old girl with his finger. He should have received a minimum of 20 years.

"I want control of you until I know you have integrated change into your life," the judge told Thompson. "I truly hope that my bet on you being OK out in society is not misplaced."

State Attorney General Jon Bruning was preparing an appeal of the sentence, arguing that it is too lenient.

Tiffany Jones, 30, of Lodgepole, works in Sidney and is organizing demonstrations at the county courthouse and gathering signatures seeking Cecava's resignation. Jones said she's already gotten about 700 signatures as of Wednesday and she hoped to submit the signatures along with a complaint to the state commission that disciplines judges by the end of the week.

Source: FOXnews