Accepting a plea agreement, Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Mike Reed sentenced Mariano Sanchez Medina, 24, Whispering Pines, Warsaw, to six years at the Indiana Department of Corrections.

The charge was plea bargained down from a Level 1 felony charge to a lesser Level 3 child molesting charge.

Medina has also been ordered to register as a sex offender, and was given 235 days credit for time already served with an additional 25 percent given for good time credit, according to state sentencing laws.

He was arrested on July 31, 2014, two days after he allegedly forced a sex act of a female victim under the age of 14. He appeared in court Feb. 9, to plead guilty to the lesser charge.

According to the probable cause affidavit, filed with the prosecutor’s office, Medina attempted to have intercourse with the victim while her mother was taking a bath. The victim’s mother reported entering the room to observe both Medina and the victim pulling up their pants. The victim told police Medina had placed his hand on her stomach and attempted to have intercourse.

During an interview with police the victim’s mother stated in May she had observed Medina holding the girl’s hands behind her and simulating a sex act. Medina had begged her at that time not to tell police.

A Level 1 felony carried a term of between 20 and 40 years. The Level 3 felony carries a fixed term of between three and 20 years.