A Warsaw man will spend holiday weekends behind bars and be forced to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty to a D felony charge of child solicitation.

Howard Leon Southall, 50, was originally charged in September 2012 with child solicitation and sexual battery, both D felonies. The charges came from an investigation that began when his roommate located handwritten notes between Southall and a 14-year-old girl.

Warsaw Police detectives said Southall, of Warsaw, formerly resided in the Canterbury Apartment complex where he met the victim and admitted to the inappropriate communications. He was also accused of inappropriately touching the girl.

During the initial investigation, Southall fled to the Indianapolis area, but had since returned to Warsaw. He was sentenced this morning in Kosciusko Superior Court I by Judge Duane Huffer. In exchange for his guilty plea, the second charge of sexual battery was dismissed.

His sentence included 1 1/2 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, but that time was suspended. Instead, Southall will spend holiday weekends in the Kosciusko County Jail, including Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day and Thanksgiving. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim.