The former chairman of Elizabethtown College's Religious Studies Department pleaded guilty Wednesday for trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a 12-year-old girl.

David B. Eller, 61, of Elizabethtown, pleaded guilty in Dauphin County Court to both charges brought against him by the state Attorney General's office — unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer.

Unlawful contact with a minor — even though in this case it was an undercover agent posing as a child — carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Criminal use of a computer carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Eller, who was dismissed from the college after his arrest last summer, will be sentenced on the felony charges in June by Dauphin County Court Judge Scott Evans.

The arrest, which took place outside a Harrisburg-area store on July 20, was part of an ongoing investigation by the state Attorney General's Child Predator Unit, which monitors Internet chat rooms and Web sites.

In the month before his arrest, according to court records, Eller allegedly used Internet chat rooms to make contact with four different undercover agents who were pretending to be young girls.

In June, Eller allegedly contacted one of the agents, who was posing as a 12-year-old girl, and asked if she would mind if he became "personal."

The two exchanged e-mails, in which Eller asked the girl about the style and color of her bathing suit, what her sexual experiences had been and discussed in specific detail various sex acts they could perform, prosecutors said.

Eller described himself as "an older married guy" and apologized for occasional interruptions as he corresponded from his office.

In July, Eller arranged a meeting to allegedly engage in sex acts with the girl, prosecutors said.

But when Eller arrived at the location, he learned the girl he had allegedly been chatting with on the Internet was in reality an investigator with the state Attorney General's Office.

"We will continue to pursue child predators and capture them before they steal the innocence of our children," state Attorney General Tom Corbett said today.

This morning, Ted Long, Elizabethtown College president, offered a prepared statement regarding the matter:

"Elizabethtown College addressed the situation involving Dr. Eller in late July. Now, this case is a matter for the courts, and it appears to be moving toward an appropriate conclusion."

Eller has a doctorate in American religious and social history. In addition to having been chairman of the college's religious studies department, Eller was director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.

A woman who answered the phone at Eller's family home today said they would have no comment on the matter.

Eller's attorney, Brian Perry of Harrisburg, could not be reached this morning.

At the time of Eller's arrest, Corbett noted that the professor was the 56th person arrested by the Child Predator Unit, created in 2005 to identify and capture child predators before they harm children.

"It is important for parents and children to be aware of on-line dangers and take steps to protect themselves from predators," Corbett said.

The Attorney General's Web site, www.attorneygeneral.gov, has a special section designed to educate the public about such matters, as well as a toll-free number to report suspicious activity, 1-800-385-1044.

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