The third of seven men originally charged with a felony related to the death of Patrick Kycia pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Tuesday in Clay County District Court.
Joseph Erhart Henschel, 22, pleaded guilty before Judge Galen Vaa in Clay County District Court to a Moorhead city charge of providing alcohol to minors.
Under a plea agreement, Henschel pleaded guilty in exchange for a sentence of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Vaa stayed 28 days of the jail time and gave him credit for two days already served.
He also promised to testify at remaining trials in the Kycia case.
Henschel originally was charged with felony sale of liquor to a minor resulting in death in connection with last summer's death of Kycia, a Minnesota State University Moorhead student.
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Kycia went missing in the early morning hours of Sept. 23 after attending a party at the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house, 611 10th St. S. in Moorhead. His body was pulled from the Red River four days later. An autopsy found Kycia's blood alcohol level was .17 percent.
Seven members of the fraternity were charged with the felony and gross misdemeanor charges of selling alcohol without a license and procuring alcohol for a person under 21.
Two other men were charged only with the gross misdemeanors.
Two of those charged with the felony, Jason Morris and James Joseph Sander Jr., have pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor procuring alcohol to minors. The other five cases still are pending.
The actual charge to which Henschel pleaded guilty was amended to cover the period from Aug. 15 to Sept. 22, which doesn't include the night Kycia was drinking at the party.
Henschel testified he did provide alcohol to minors during those weeks because he was a member of the fraternity, which had parties over that time.
His attorney, John Goff, said in court that Henschel did not give alcohol to Kycia onSept. 23 and was, in fact, only briefly at that night's party.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Tom Pantera at (701) 241-5541
