SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A registered sex offender accused of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend will receive no prison time after pleading guilty to lesser charges.
Twenty-three-year-old Michael Geraets pleaded guilty in March to aggravated assault and sexual contact without consent after prosecutors reduced a charge of rape and dismissed other charges.
Geraets maintains that the sex with his former girlfriend was consensual but took a plea deal to avoid being prosecuted on the more serious charges.
The Argus Leader (https://argusne.ws/1ciLwGm ) reports Geraets was sentenced Monday to eight years of probation.
He also got 12 years in prison, but the judge suspended all of it. If he commits a crime, the sentence could be enforced.
Geraets became a registered sex offender after he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl weeks before his 18th birthday.
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Information from: Argus Leader, https://www.argusleader.com
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