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Prosecutors offer 3rd plea deal to gay Florida teen

Posted at 3:29 PM, Oct 02, 2013
and last updated 2013-10-02 15:29:24-04

(CNN) – Prosecutors have offered a new plea deal to Kaitlyn Hunt, the 19-year-old who faces charges of lewd and lascivious battery after police learned of the alleged sexual relationship she had with a 14-year-old girl.

The case garnered attention as Hunt’s lawyers claimed that authorities wouldn’t have gone after her if it had involved a male and a female instead of two teenage girls.

Hunt has been in jail since August 20 for violating a court order not to contact the alleged victim.

Under the new plea deal, Hunt would plead no contest to five charges, including two counts of misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor contributing to the dependency of a child and two counts of felony interference with child custody.

The felony charges originate from the times she picked up the 14-year-old against her parents’ wishes.

Hunt would be sentenced to serve four months in jail, to be followed by two years of house arrest with electronic monitoring, and nine months of monitored probation after that, prosecuting attorney Brian Workman said.

If she has no violations, she will not be a convicted felon under Florida law, and she will have the possibility of sealing her file and having the case expunged after 10 years, he said.

Hunt’s attorney was involved in crafting the deal, Workman said, and Hunt is expected to accept the plea agreement.

She had refused at least two other deals.

“I believe this is a fair and balanced offer that protects the victim while giving Ms. Hunt the ability to avoid the most severe consequences of her crimes by demonstrating that no further punishment is necessary,” Workman said.

Hunt was 18 when she was charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery after allegedly having sexual relations with the girl, who was 14.

In Florida, a person under the age of 16 is not legally able to consent to sex.

The original charges against Hunt carry a maximum of 15 years in prison.

The-CNN-Wire
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