Tuckerton luring defendant given five-year sentence

The Tuckerton 56-year-old who pleaded guilty to luring, for allegedly trying to arrange a date with a 12-year-old girl in Stafford, draws a five-year prison term.

In an Ocean County courtroom in Toms River, Mark Allan was also ordered to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law, avoid contact with the victim under Nicole's Law, and maintain lifetime parole supervision, according to information from the office of County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato.

Allan entered his plea to the second-degree charge on May 19 of this year, in connection with the incident that began on February 7, 2014, at the Ocean County Library Stafford Branch. He had been incarcerated since his arrest the following day.

According to investigators, Allan, 55 at the time, invited the girl to attend a movie with him, handing her a note to that effect. He included a cell phone number on the note.

Detectives Drew Smith and Jay Steele, assuming the 12-year-old's role, communicated with Allan via texts. He returned to the library on February 8, expecting to meet her, and was arrested without incident by undercover investgators, authorities said.

The victim's mother was present at sentencing, authorities said.