COQUILLE - A second man charged with rape in a November incident at Southwestern Oregon Community College has pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault.

Lauren Donte Brown, 19, agreed to an arrangement with the Coos County District Attorney's Office on Wednesday under which rape and sodomy charges were dismissed in exchange for his plea. He will be placed on probation for the next three years and required to register as a sex offender.

"I think the court can appreciate he has made this decision independent of counsel but in agreement with his family," said Jesse Coggins, Brown's court-appointed attorney.

Coggins said spending nearly 140 days in custody had proven to be a strain for Brown. Sporting short hair, Brown appeared in court shackled around the waist and wearing a blue Coos County jail uniform. He was the second man charged with raping 18-year-old Kristina Howell in an incident at the Southwestern campus in November.

In February, a high-profile rape trial ended with the acquittal of 24-year-old Brian Knight. A six-man, six-woman jury deliberated for little more than an hour before reaching its verdict. Sharply critical of the jurors' decision, District Attorney Paul Burgett vowed to pursue charges against Brown.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Romano said his office had offered the plea arrangement some time ago, but was only recently approached by the defense. Romano said he is satisfied with the plea.

"We do concede this is appropriate," he said after the hearing.

Howell had expressed interest in moving forward with the case but recently appeared to waiver, Romano said. While the assistant district attorney said Howell would have testified had the case moved to trial level, he added that in recent conversations it appeared she was eager to put the incident to rest.

"There was a very significant change in her voice," he said. "She had really been putting this behind her."

Neither Howell nor her family were present in court Wednesday, although Romano said she supports the plea agreement.

During the first trial, Howell testified she went to the campus to discuss test results with a counselor and was considering enrolling at Southwestern. That afternoon, she met Knight near a pay phone in front of the Financial Aid Office, she said.

Howell told jurors she was looking for a car ride when the two struck up a conversation. Reports indicate the two went to a Cape Arago housing unit to wait for a friend of Knight's to return.

After a series of events during which Howell said she willingly rubbed Knight's back, she testified she was in a state of fear and forced to have sex. While she said that she wasn't physically attacked and apparently had opportunities to leave, Howell said she was afraid for her safety.

By the district attorney and the defense's accounts, Brown was one of several men who took part in the incident and was one of the last to have arrived.

Howell reported having sex with numerous men and Knight named four people he said had sex with Howell, including Brown. None of the other men has been charged in the case and some have reportedly dropped out of Southwestern and left the area.

While Romano said the district attorney does not intend to file any new charges against Brown, he has been ordered to be available for a full interview to detail the incident and who else was involved. Outside the court, Romano said the District Attorney's Office remains interested in the case and said additional people could be charged.

Brown was released from the Oregon State Hospital in Salem the past week after being held there since January while doctors evaluated his mental condition. Prosecutors and Brown's defense attorney said the release indicated doctors found him fit to stand trial and aid in his own defense.

The hearing had been scheduled to discuss a motion to postpone Brown's trial, which was initially set for April 8-10. Answering questions from Circuit Judge Richard Barron, Brown said he was not under any medication and understood the consequences of pleading guilty. He answered Barron's questions in brief statements of, "Yes sir."

Sex abuse in the second degree implies having sexual intercourse with another without their consent but as opposed to rape, it does not address whether a person was compelled forcibly to have sex. In addition to his probation sentence, Brown will be required to register as a sex offender, was ordered to pay $1,300 in fees and is prohibited from becoming intoxicated.