A plea agreement on a lesser charge means a jail stint of fewer than three weeks for a onetime Wadena-Deer Creek High School teacher and district administrator accused of sexually assaulting a student.

Brian K. Maki, 58, pleaded guilty in Otter Tail County District Court to fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a gross misdemeanor, in connection with a molestation at his home in Henning, Minn., in April 2015.

Maki had been charged with felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. The plea deal calls for 20 days in jail, with credit for three days he served upon arrest.

He'll also be placed on probation for two years and be subject to sex offender evaluation. Maki will not be required to register with the state as a predatory offender.

The agreement came under what is called an Alford plea, meaning Maki acknowledges that there was enough evidence to convict him but he does not admit to the allegations.

The student told authorities that the encounter traumatized her to the point that she considered killing herself within minutes of leaving the home of a teacher "she looked at as a role model," the initial criminal complaint against Maki read.

Under questioning by a sheriff's detective, Maki said he realized "how inappropriate" his actions were, the complaint continued.

Maki and the girl met at a tire store in Deer Creek with a plan for her to be paid to clean cabins for him.

Once at his home, the charging document continued, he started coming on to her and sexually touching her despite her objections.

Maki, who no longer teaches in the district, told the sheriff's detective that he has "done a lot" for the girl, including giving her money "due to troubles with her family life," the complaint read.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482