Tyler Kost sentenced to 3 years in prison

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A Pinal County man who was arrested for sexually assaulting 13 high school classmates when he was still a teenager received his sentence on Friday.

Tyler Kost, who has been behind bars for the past three years, has been sentenced by a judge to three years in prison, along with probation.

Kost has already spent 990 days behind bars, so he'll have to serve another 105 days in prison to complete his sentence, however, he could be released as early as tomorrow because he has already served 85 percent of his sentence.

He was arrested in 2014 when he was 18 and accused of sexually assaulting 13 girls who he attended high school with. Some of the accusers were as young as 13 years old.

Last month, Kost pleaded guilty to charges in connection to five of the 13 victims. He agreed to accept three counts of attempted sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of child abuse.

In court on Friday, Kost addressed the judge, during sentencing.

"I want to apologize for my actions," said Kost. "I made some serious mistakes, and I want to accept responsibility for my behavior. I'm so sorry for the pain I caused everyone."

Letters from the victims were read during court, and some of them spoke for themselves. Kost's family also spoke, saying how much the last few years have changed their family.

Kost will have to deal with 15 years of probation and he must register as a sex offender. If he violates probation, he could face 50 years in prison.