A jury trial scheduled to begin Monday morning in Wabash County Circuit Court was abruptly cancelled after the defendant entered a guilty plea to the charge.

21-year-old Krieg Addison of Mt. Carmel was arrested by Mt. Carmel Police following an incident on July 12th at his residence in the 500 block of West 5th Street. State’s Attorney Kelli Storckman said Addison was charged with a Class 2 felony of aggravated domestic battery after strangling and beating up his girlfriend. When officers arrived at the home, Storckman said Addison was dragging the battered girlfriend across the floor by her feet. An additional misdemeanor child endangerment charge was filed after Addison knocked over a television that nearly struck an infant that was in a car seat.

Addison had pled not guilty to the charges up until yesterday morning when the jury selection was slated to begin. As prospective jurors waited outside the courtroom, Addison changed his plea to guilty on the aggravated domestic battery charge.

The plea change was not tied to any sentencing promises as Addison will be sentenced on January 21st. He faces up to four years in prison on the charge and continues to be held in the Wabash County Jail because he has been deemed a real and specific threat to a specific person or the community.

No agreement or plea was reached on the child endangerment charge.