UPDATE:Kaitlyn Hunt accepts plea bitly link: http://bit.ly/17wUr0s
EARLIER STORY:
The plea deal offered to Kaitlyn Hunt will be accepted, according to 19th Judicial District State Attorney Bruce Colton. He says she will plead either no contest or guilty.
Colton said Wednesday it will be signed off by the defendant either beforehand or in open court Thursday at 11 a.m.
The judge then will likely sentence her based on the recommendations in the plea deal.
Hunt was charged with having sex with a 14-year-old female schoolmate when she was 18-years-old.
A plea deal that had been in place in August was withdrawn after the prosecution alleged Hunt had been sending thousands of text messages to the alleged victim, including naked pictures.
She has been in jail ever since.
Hunt was charged in February with the two lewd and lascivious counts, and jailed. She posted $5,000 bail then and was released, with the pretrial court order prohibiting her from contact with the victim.
According to court records, sheriff’s investigators say that after Hunt’s arrest on Feb. 16, she violated a court no-contact order by having repeated contact with the victim. In some instances that included their secretly meeting and having physical contact.
Statement released Wednesday by Julia Graves, attorney for 19-year-old Kate Hunt:
"Kaitlyn Hunt is accepting the plea deal in her best interest as well as that of her family, the “victim” and the “victim’s” family. It is time to enter a plea given the current state of the law and get back to living a somewhat normal life without fear of the unknown for everyone involved. There is too much risk in trying the case when the State, particularly Mr. Workman has willingly worked with defense counsel to obtain this negotiated plea. Kaitlyn is giving up many rights by entering the plea. Not only does she relinquish her legal rights to a trial and requiring the State to prove their case, but she also gives up the opportunity for her supporters as well as her detractors to see and hear any testimony or evidence.
We are hoping to put the litigation behind. We are concerned about the civil litigation continuing with the attorneys for the “victim’s” family for monetary damages but nothing in a civil suit affects the plea we are accepting or causes any violations. Nonetheless, Kaitlyn is going to move on with her life and follow the conditions of her community control and probation imposed by the Court. The next task upon her release from incarceration is to work with supporters and lawmakers toward a change in the law for teenagers attending the same school, no matter what their sexual orientation is. Together, we intend to be available to help educate the students attending our schools and their parents, as well as the teachers and administration that are unaware of these laws and the severe consequences they can carry. Kaitlyn, her family, friends and supporters never want to see another teenager in this kind of situation. Kaitlyn is particularly grateful to her entire family for their nonstop love and support as well as the many well-wishers and supporters around the globe."
The wptv.com web team and tc.palm.com contributed to this report.
