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Child sex assault plea expected

News Photo by Julie Riddle Defendant Jay Dehring, accused of sexually assaulting a child, is removed from Alpena’s 88th District Court courtroom after a hearing Wednesday.

ALPENA — Jay Dehring, an Alpena man accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old in October, intends to plead guilty to third-degree criminal sexual assault and accosting a minor for immoral purposes, his attorney said in court on Wednesday.

In January, Judge Thomas LaCross ordered the child to appear in court to testify against Dehring when the testimony of an older child, to whom the alleged abuse had been disclosed, was deemed inadmissible in Alpena’s 88th District Court.

The News does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.

The 5-year-old’s testimony was to be presented at a preliminary examination — at which a judge decides if there is enough evidence for a case to continue to trial — but the exam was waived when Dehring said he intended to plead guilty to the charges once he is arraigned in Circuit Court.

Alpena County Prosecutor Cynthia Muszynski agreed to drop charges of first-degree sexual assault involving digital and oral penetration — charges that carry a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison — if Dehring pleads guilty to the lesser charge.

Dehring, 29, could face a sentence of up to 15 years in prison for the third-degree sexual assault charge. He will be arraigned in Alpena’s 26th Circuit Court in coming weeks.

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