MONROE - After taking more than 50 minutes in recess to make his final decision, a Monroe man chose to accept a plea agreement rather than take his case to trial.
Micki Frederick Nafzger, 23, pleaded no contest Monday to a Class F felony of causing mental harm to a child and three counts of Class A misdemeanor charges of exposing genitals to a child as part of a plea agreement.
Nafzger, as part of the agreement, will not be required to register as a lifetime sex offender.
Nafzger faced two counts of Class B felony charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child, which stems from an incident in the Town of Brooklyn in 2007 when Nafzger was 13. Two children who were under the age of 13 at the time reported Nafzger entered a room where they slept, locked the door and told them he was going to do something "fun" with them before removing his clothes. He removed the clothing of both children before he raped them and then left the room, according to a police report.
His maximum possible sentence if he had chosen to pursue a trial rather than accept the plea agreement was 120 years in prison.
Another charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child stemming from an incident in 2008 in the Town of Sylvester, which was reported by another pre-teen girl, was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. The charge had been moved to a separate case in early September.
Nafzger spoke to Green County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Vale about his options before leaving the courtroom alongside public defender Suzanne Edwards to think things over. Returning just under an hour later, he agreed to plead no contest to the lesser charges.
Nafzger's sentence under the agreement still has to be determined through a pre-sentencing investigation.
Vale said the sentence can be determined after the investigation. Currently, Nafzger resides at the Green County Jail for a probation violation in early October. Vale revoked a $10,000 signature bond following the plea, to which Edwards objected, but the judge said the change was necessary because one can have second thoughts when likely facing prison time.
Nafzger's felony charge carries a maximum of 12.5 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines. The maximum sentence for his three misdemeanor charges is two years and three months in jail, $30,000 in fines, or both.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled at 9 a.m. Jan. 12.
Micki Frederick Nafzger, 23, pleaded no contest Monday to a Class F felony of causing mental harm to a child and three counts of Class A misdemeanor charges of exposing genitals to a child as part of a plea agreement.
Nafzger, as part of the agreement, will not be required to register as a lifetime sex offender.
Nafzger faced two counts of Class B felony charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child, which stems from an incident in the Town of Brooklyn in 2007 when Nafzger was 13. Two children who were under the age of 13 at the time reported Nafzger entered a room where they slept, locked the door and told them he was going to do something "fun" with them before removing his clothes. He removed the clothing of both children before he raped them and then left the room, according to a police report.
His maximum possible sentence if he had chosen to pursue a trial rather than accept the plea agreement was 120 years in prison.
Another charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child stemming from an incident in 2008 in the Town of Sylvester, which was reported by another pre-teen girl, was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. The charge had been moved to a separate case in early September.
Nafzger spoke to Green County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Vale about his options before leaving the courtroom alongside public defender Suzanne Edwards to think things over. Returning just under an hour later, he agreed to plead no contest to the lesser charges.
Nafzger's sentence under the agreement still has to be determined through a pre-sentencing investigation.
Vale said the sentence can be determined after the investigation. Currently, Nafzger resides at the Green County Jail for a probation violation in early October. Vale revoked a $10,000 signature bond following the plea, to which Edwards objected, but the judge said the change was necessary because one can have second thoughts when likely facing prison time.
Nafzger's felony charge carries a maximum of 12.5 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines. The maximum sentence for his three misdemeanor charges is two years and three months in jail, $30,000 in fines, or both.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled at 9 a.m. Jan. 12.