PARIS — After a trial for gross sexual assault charges ended in a mistrial last November, defendant Jeffrey A. Hedrick of Poland pleaded to lesser charges Tuesday.

Hedrick, 52, pleaded no contest to three charges of endangering the welfare of a dependent person Tuesday in Oxford County Superior Court. He was sentenced to two years, with all but 60 days suspended, and one year of probation.

He was charged with engaging in sexual conduct with a woman diagnosed with mild mental retardation, according to Assistant District Attorney Joseph O’Connor. O’Connor said he believed Hedrick engaged in sexual acts with the woman far more than 12 times, but that her memory wasn’t reliable. He said the number of counts and the associated dates were chosen arbitrarily.

During the trial, psychologist Thomas Collins said the woman had an IQ of 57 and the cognitive skills of a 7- to 8-year-old.

Hedrick did not testify at his trial, but his attorney, Sarah Glynn, did not contest that Hedrick had sex with the woman. Glynn said the woman had worked, was an adult and should be treated as one.

On Nov. 30, the case went to a jury. After about two hours of deliberation and a lunch break, the jury requested to be read the woman’s testimony a second time. More than an hour later, the foreman said they couldn’t come to a decision.

On Tuesday, Hedrick received a two-week stay of execution before he serves his sentence.

treaves@sunjournal.com

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