TACOMA — A former Pierce County Superior Court judge convicted of felony harassment and patronizing a prostitute has escaped a jail term and been sentenced to 240 hours of community service and “John School.”

Michael Hecht wept as he was sentenced Thursday after telling King County Superior Court Judge James Cayce that he had suffered greatly — losing his $148,000 a year job and seeing his reputation damaged. Hecht continued to maintain his innocence.

But Cayce told Hecht the jury had seen “overwhelming evidence” of his guilt. And Cayce added, “You deserve everything you’ve gotten.”

A jury convicted Hecht on Oct. 28 of buying sex from one young man and threatening to kill another to keep him from talking about their previous sex-for-money relationship.

The prosecutor had sought a 90-day sentence.

John School is a Tacoma-area program to teach patrons arrested for soliciting prostitutes the bad effects of the sex trade.