Scott Paxson plead no contest to a summary citation of disorderly conduct in exchange for the indecent assault and aggravated indecent assault charges being dropped just an hour and a half into his trial.

Paxson said he was ready to get on with his life when the charge was read.

The prosecution and defense teams both agreed that the plea agreement was the best scenario after Centre County Judge Bradley Lunsford ruled that the defense team could use facts that the prosecution had originally asked to be kept out of the trial.

"The ruling was going to distract from the issues in the case," Marshall said.

The judge's ruling came after Centre County Assistant District Attorney Lance Marshall mentioned in his opening statement that two Penn State Judicial Affairs hearings had already taken place in the matter of the alleged sexual assault. He also talked about the four-month delay between the night of the alleged attack and when the accuser asked police to prosecute.

Paxson's attorney, Joseph Amendola said once Marshall introduced those two items, they were fair game for him to address as well.

"It changed the complexity of the case," Amendola said. "If he had never brought that up, I couldn't have said anything."

Marshall said he disagreed with the ruling, but he signed the plea bargain during a 45-minute recess after the opening statements from both sides were heard.

The trial, which ended one and a half days earlier than expected, consisted of only opening statements and never included any witness testimony.

Check tomorrow's Collegian for the full story.