If you take away the orange jail-issued jumpsuit, John F. Knudson looks a lot like somebody's grandpa. His gray hair flops over his forehead, and he wears horn-rimmed glasses. But his crime is enough for parents to want to keep their children away from him forever.

Knudson, 69, of St. Paul, was sentenced Wednesday by Ramsey County District Judge Gary Bastian to 7 1/2 years for sexually molesting a 9-year-old girl he lured to his side in Iris Park in St. Paul last October.

Knudson is required to serve at least five years in prison and the remainder of his sentence on supervised release. He was ordered to register as a predatory offender for the rest of his life.

The October incident was Knudson's eighth sex-related conviction since 1963.

According to the charges, Knudson was sitting on a bench in the park near University and Prior avenues about 6 p.m. Oct. 3 when his victim walked past and he yelled for her to come to him.

When she hesitated, he picked her up and carried her to the bench. When she tried to leave, he held tightly to her hand and restrained her. He grabbed the girl's wrist and led her into a more wooded area. There, he pulled down her pants and underwear and molested her.

At a hearing in November, Knudson pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He said he and another man had consumed two bottles of vodka that day and he doesn't recall everything that happened. But he didn't dispute the allegations.

Knudson was given credit for the 145 days he has spent in custody and was fined the mandatory minimum of $50.

PAT PHEIFER