CONNECTICUT
Record-Journal
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped the most serious charges against a former East Windsor priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenager.
Paul Gotta was facing charges of second-degree sexual assault and fourth-degree sexual assault. Authorities say Gotta sexually assaulted the 16-year-old boy between January 2012 and February 2013.
The Hartford Courant reports (http://cour.at/1O4MtkY ) prosecutors offered Gotta a deal to plead guilty to second-degree breach of peace. He pleaded Wednesday under the Alford doctrine. That means he didn’t agree with the state’s evidence but wanted to plead to a lesser charge instead of risking a trial and a greater sentence.
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