A Bethlehem teen-ager and her family pleaded for leniency for a man accused of getting her pregnant when she was 15, according to this report on The Morning Call’s website.

The reason: They want him to be a part of their lives and help raise the newborn child. As a result, Northampton County Judge Anthony Beltrami sentenced Ivan A. Alvarez-Lopez to six months to a year in the county jail, instead of a longer state prison sentence as a result of him pleading guilty to unlawful contact with the girl.

According to the report, family members called Alvarez-Lopez, 24, of New Jersey a good man who made a mistake and, if it were up to them, he would not have been charged.