3 Former Michigan State Players Get Plea Deal Undoing Sexual Assault Charges
Three former Michigan State football players have reached a plea deal and will avoid jail time from sexual assault charges.
The Lansing State Journal is reporting that Josh King, Donnie Corley and Demetric Vance have reached a plea deal with the Ingham County prosecutor's office in a hearing before Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina this morning. The move settles their charges that stemmed from an incident at an apartment party on campus last year. All three players will plead guilty to lesser charges of seduction.
A seduction charge is a felony with a maximum of five years in prison. It is described as seducing an unmarried woman for sexual acts.
The agreement calls for King, Corley and Vance to have no up-front jail time. Additionally, the three players' court record would become non-public so long as they meet the terms of the agreement and do not commit any future offenses.
The sentencing hearing is set for June 6. If Judge Aquilina includes jail time, the three can withdraw their guilty pleas.
Corley and Vance were both charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which carry a maximum of 15 years in prison. King faced a more serious litany of charges; first-degree criminal sexual conduct and a third-degree charge, as well as one count of capturing/distributing images of an unclothed person. Those charges carry a life-in-prison possibility.
Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Steve Kwasnik said the victim had been consulted and approved of the terms of the plea agreements.
King, Corley and Vance were suspended from the MSU football program in early 2017 after allegations against them were first made. All three were summarily dismissed from the program when charges were authorized by the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office in June. They were expelled from the university after a Title IX investigation not long after.