BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man charged with sexually abusing three boys at a Christian summer camp on Cape Cod has withdrawn his guilty plea and now faces trial.
The Cape Cod Times (http://bit.ly/1DRwb6w ) reports that 67-year-old Richard P. Smith withdrew his plea Wednesday during a sentencing hearing after the judge refused to accept a plea deal worked out with prosecutors that would have spared Smith additional time behind bars. Smith has already spent 2 1/2 years in jail awaiting trial.
Judge Gary Nickerson, concerned that Smith remains a danger to children, wanted additional jail time.
Smith’s lawyer says her client is a low risk to re-offend.
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