A Whitefield man has pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a 14- or 15-year-old girl while four similar counts and six class A gross sexual counts against him were dismissed, according to court documents.
Christopher Sidelinger, 29, was originally charged by summons on with gross sexual assault, but was later indicted in May 2014 by a Lincoln County grand jury on six counts of gross sexual assault, all class A felonies, and six counts of sexual abuse of a minor, all class C felonies.
The assaults and abuse listed in the charges allegedly took place in late October and early November 2012 against a single alleged victim, according to the indictment.
Darrick Banda, Sidelinger’s attorney, said Sidelinger made the plea deal in light of both potential problems with the state’s case against him and the risks Sidelinger faced if convicted at trial.
“There was some risk going forward at trial, but they were going to have some real issues with their alleged victim,” Banda said.
“We think it was fair given the potential weakness of the state’s case but also recognize there was some potential risk there if we went to trial and he was found guilty of the more serious crimes,” he said.
Banda said there is an agreement on sentencing with the case, but the agreement still needs to be accepted by the court.
Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wright, the prosecutor, said he is reserving comment on the case until after the sentencing.