A local man accused of offering individuals an opportunity to perform sex acts with young girls has accepted a plea deal in the case.
Nicholas Duane Hickman, 39, Columbus, has agreed to plead guilty in Bartholomew Circuit Court to one count of child exploitation as a Level 4 felony, court documents state.
His sentencing hearing before Judge Kelly Benjamin is set for 11:15 a.m. Thursday, March 12.
In exchange for the guilty plea, the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s office agreed to drop three Level 6 felony charges including sexual battery, strangulation, and domestic battery. A misdemeanor charge of distribution of an intimate image is also to be dismissed as part of the plea deal.
Hickman was arrested for using the Grindr dating cellphone application to offer individuals an opportunity to perform sex acts with young girls last year, according to a probable cause affidavit.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
