CHICORA — “Listen to your mother.”

That was the advice District Judge Lewis Stoughton imparted Tuesday on the teenager standing before him.

Next to 18-year-old Austin D. McAnallen of Washington Township, on one side, his attorney. On the other side, his mother.

Moments earlier, McAnallen pleaded guilty to three counts of sexting. The formal charge is transmission of sexually explicit images by a minor.

State police in February accused the teen of sending naked images of his ex-girlfriend to at least two boys as part of his plan earlier this year to get back at her for allegedly cheating on him.

The case came to light, police said, after one of the boys who received the naked photos forwarded them to the victim and advised her that the defendant was “sending them around.”

The victim informed administrators at Moniteau High School, who contacted police.

Investigators confronted the defendant, who admitted he sent the pictures, allegedly for revenge, according to documents.

“It was a stupid teenage mistake that deserves to be punished,” admitted Joseph Nash, McAnallen's attorney, following the proceedings.

Stoughton took care of the punishment after Nash and prosecutor Russ Karl, a Butler County assistant district attorney, worked out a deal that resolved the case.

In exchange for McAnallen's guilty plea to summary sexting charges, the prosecution withdrew misdemeanor counts of the same crime.

Pennsylvania lawmakers in 2012 carved out a special classification in state law for teen sexting.

Juveniles who knowingly send nude photographs of themselves, or children who possess such images they receive from another minor who is at least 12 years old, can be charged with a summary-level offense, according to the law.

Passing the photos to others or using them to coerce, harass or intimidate others can lead to misdemeanor charges, which, unlike summaries, would also mean possible jail time.

Afterward, Karl declined to discuss the plea deal. Nash, however, believed it was a fair resolution.

“It's a just result,” he said, “given (McAnallen's) age and the circumstances of this case.”

He noted that his client was 17 when the photos of the girl were taken. And, he added, the photos were “non-sexual in nature.”

Stoughton fined McAnallen $100 per count. Under the law, the teen faced a maximum $300 fine for each count.

“You are a little smarter now from going through the process?” the judge asked McAnallen.

“Yes,” came the reply from the young defendant, with a quick glance toward his not-too-pleased-looking mother.