By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent

ST. PAUL  - Former Prior Lake pastor John Kameron Erbele pleaded guilty Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court on charges of soliciting a prostitute.

The 36-year-old pastor of LifePrint Church, which meets at Twin Oaks Middle School, will serve probation in lieu of jail time for the misdemeanor offense under the plea agreement reached.

Erbele was one of 16 men arrested during a prostitution sting operation conducted by St. Paul police on Sept. 1. The agreement was reached a month after Erbele entered a not guilty plea on Jan. 4.

District Court Judge Gail Chang Bohr ordered Erbele to pay $381 in fines, remain law-abiding for a year, attend counseling and go to “john school,” in which facts about prostitution and its effects on communities is taught. If Erbele completes counseling and remains law-abiding, the charge will be dismissed.

“Mr. Erbele has accepted full responsibility for his conduct from the beginning,” said Paul Baertschi, Erbele’s attorney. “He is addressing the issues systematically and at this point, for the sake of his wife and three children, he wants his privacy to be respected from this point forward.”

During the sting operation, Erbele responded to an Internet ad in which he met and struck a deal with a prostitute – who was actually an undercover officer – at a hotel in the 700 block of Payne Avenue on the east side of St. Paul, according to police. After the deal for prostitution was reached, Erbele was arrested.

Prior to his arrest, Erbele was pastor at LifePrint Church. Shortly after his arrest, the church’s Web site listed a different person as pastor.

A message on the church’s Web site Wednesday night stated that Erbele is going through a “restoration process” through the evangelical church. The site also states that the church is currently led by Ken Brakefield, who is working with the church’s leadership team.

“Despite the process in place, we still do not know if and when John will return to ministry,” the Web site reads. “Many factors are involved that have to be worked out over time. This process could take up to a year or longer. Restoration to spiritual leadership is a serious and sacred matter.”

Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at (952) 345-6374 or shogendorf@swpub.com.