KINGWOOD — A Preston man entered a plea to failure to register as a sex offender Tuesday, when his trial was set to begin.
Two indictments were returned against Donald Carl Stout, 70, of Bruceton Mills, by the Preston County Grand Jury in March. On Tuesday, he entered an Alford or Kennedy plea to one of the indictments, which charges three counts of failure to register as a sex offender.
Still pending is an indictment charging Stout with first-degree sexual assault, sexual abuse and two counts of child abuse resulting in injury.
Preston Prosecutor Melvin C. Snyder III previously said the case was one of the most disturbing he has ever presented to a grand jury. The alleged victims are juveniles.
Stout has been in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail in lieu of $1 million bond since July 2017. He was arrested then after Preston deputies sought the public’s help in finding him. Police considered Stout armed and dangerous at the time.
The plea agreement signed Tuesday calls for Stout to receive credit for the time he has served in jail. The defense and prosecution agreed that he will be sentenced to one-to-five years on one count of failure to register as a convicted sex offender, and the other charges of failure to register will be dropped. Final sentencing is up to the judge.
An Alford or Kennedy plea is not an admission of guilt by the defendant but shows his recognition that there may be enough evidence for a jury to convict him.
