BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Siloam Springs man took a plea agreement and was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week for sexually assaulting a four-year-old.

Erick Anthony Weiser, 20, was arrested last year for rape. He was later formally charged with rape and sexual assault in the third degree.

An affidavit says that on Sept. 30, 2020, a detective at the Siloam Springs Police Department received an Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Hotline report for investigation.

The report alleged that a 17-year-old, later identified as Weiser, had inappropriately touched a four-year-old girl on two separate occasions.

The victim’s mother told police that Weiser admitted to touching the child and apologized for it and that the first incident occurred after she left her children inside her car with Weiser while she was shopping.

The victim’s brother was reportedly in the car during the incident.

During an interview with the Benton County Children’s Advocacy Center, the victim stated that she had been touched in her genital area at least one other time by Weiser, this time in her bedroom.

Court documents show that Weiser’s defense team attempted to have the case heard in juvenile court, but that those efforts were denied by Judge Robin Green.

Weiser changed his plea from not guilty to guilty as part of a plea agreement during a hearing on Monday.

As part of the plea agreement, the rape charge was dropped and replaced with a charge of endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree.