3rd teen pleads guilty in sex case

A Cary teen accused with two friends of secretly videotaping a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old high school classmate pleaded guilty to a reduced charge Thursday, allowing him to avoid a possible felony conviction and prison sentence.

Nicholas B. Parfitt, 18, admitted guilt to misdemeanor attempted eavesdropping stemming from the Jan. 6, 2007, incident in which, police said, he helped set up a hidden video camera to record sexual relations between a friend and an unsuspecting girl.

As part of his plea deal with McHenry County prosecutors, Parfitt must serve one year probation, pay a $750 fine and perform 100 hours of community service. In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed a felony eavesdropping charge initially filed in March.

Parfitt's attorney, Steven McArdle, declined comment Thursday on his client's decision to plead guilty.

His plea deal is nearly identical to one accepted in November by co-defendant Vincent M. Witten, 18, of Cary. A third teen accused of helping set up the camera, Stefen W. Mueller, 18, of Cary, pleaded guilty to the same charge last month, but received non-reporting probation.

Cary police arrested all three in March while investigating accusations they recorded a 14-year-old girl without her knowledge. Those claims proved to be unfounded, police said, but during the investigation detectives discovered a video recording showing an encounter with another girl as well as the three teens' efforts to hide the camera.