Suspect pleads guilty, but can’t recall facts

Published 9:45 am Tuesday, October 29, 2013

A 35-year-old woman charged in Mower County Court for sexual acts with a boy younger than 13 accepted a plea agreement on Saturday.

Espe

Espe

Lisa Marie Espe, of Austin, entered a Norgaard plea of guilty on a second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge with a victim younger than 13. In a Norgaard plea, the defendant pleads guilty but says he or she was unable to remember facts because of intoxication or amnesia. A charge for first-degree criminal sexual conduct may be dismissed.

According to the court complaint, the boy’s mother found chat logs of the boy’s and Espe’s conversations. The complaint added Espe was aware of the boy’s age, which was indicated in the chat logs. Espe allegedly met with the boy at an athletic field in Austin early in the morning on July 13. An officer received the report on July 16 and arrested Espe.

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Espe will be sentenced in February.