A Pennsylvania man who recently pled guilty to sexual assault attributed his behavior to stress and emotional problems that eventually led to a nervous breakdown. The 57-year-old was employed as a residential services aide at an assisted-living facility in Pennsylvania for 17 years. He was accused of sexually assaulting a mentally handicapped resident there.

After pleading guilty to first-degree misdemeanor indecent assault, the 57-year-old will now be registered as a sex offender for 10 years in accordance with Megan's Law. He will also have to be evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which aims to determine if a person is a violent sexual predator.

In exchange for his guilty plea, the man avoided a felony conviction for institutional sexual assault. A conviction for first-degree misdemeanor indecent assault usually carries a maximum 5-year prison sentence and a $15,000 fine, but the prosecutor indicated that the man may be sentenced to as little as probation or five months in jail.

The defendant, who entered his guilty plea without an attorney, said the incident in question was the only time he had abused or sexually assaulted a resident. He said his actions were due to the extreme stress of his work environment, which he said caused a nervous breakdown.

In court, the man expressed remorse for his actions, saying, "It was poor judgment and something that should not have happened." He went on to apologize to the victim, the victim's family and the community at large.

The district attorney admitted that, beyond the accused man's confession, there wasn't much evidence in the case, since the resident whom the man was accused of assaulting was unable to help in the investigation.

Apparently, the defendant's roommate was responsible for telling police that the defendant had admitted to sexual misconduct with the resident.

The district attorney said that there was no evidence the man had committed any other offenses.

Source: The Daily Item, "Sex offender says emotional stress made him do it," Marcia Moore, Jan. 10, 2012