A Victoria man pled guilty Tuesday to a charge of sexual battery involving an assault in 2014.

Commonwealth’s Attorney William Green Jr. said Richard Thomas Dean III agreed to a plea deal. Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies originally charged Dean with rape of a helpless victim.

“This involved a party … where a young lady went to bed and the defendant came in the room later and committed inappropriate actions,” Green said.

Deputies arrested Dean on May 31, 2014. His original trial date was set for Dec. 15, 2015. Green said Dean’s case was supposed to go before a jury Tuesday morning, something avoided by the plea deal. It was to be Dean’s second trial, he said.

“There were a lot of college-age witnesses and we had to schedule the first trial for when they were on breaks,” Green explained. “We had a trial which ended with a hung jury and we went to (set) a jury trial last June.”

In exchange for Dean’s plea to the lesser charge, Green said he was sentenced to 12 months and a $2,500 fine, all suspended on three years good behavior and one year of supervision.

In a separate case from August involving Jason Thomas Allen, of Halifax, a hearing on Jan. 4 will be used to set a trial date. Allen faces one count each of sodomy: victim helpless/force and sexual battery.

Green said the case stems from an alleged incident at the Charlotte County jail.