DULUTH — A Minnesota newspaper executive has pleaded guilty after being caught in a prostitution sting in a Duluth motel room last November.

Forty-nine-year-old Todd Keute pleaded guilty to prostitution in a public place, a gross misdemeanor.

Keute was sentenced last week to one year of probation. He also was fined $1,500 and $85 in surcharges and has to complete the “Breaking Free” program.

Keute told the Duluth News Tribune on Monday that he deeply regrets his “lapse of judgment” and is sorry for his actions.

Keute is regional operations manager of the Superior Publishing Corp. and publisher of the Grand Rapids Herald-Review. He served as publisher of the Superior (Wis.) Telegram and later as vice president of administration at the News Tribune before leaving the company.