PARIS — A Norway man pleaded guilty to a sex charge Monday morning just before his trial was scheduled to begin.

David W. McDaniels, 51, faced four charges of gross sexual assault. In a plea bargain, the charges were dismissed and McDaniels pleaded guilty to one charge of unlawful sexual contact, a Class D offense. He entered a no contest plea and was sentenced to 364 days, all suspended, plus a year of probation.

McDaniels must also spend 10 years on Maine’s sex offender registry.

The charges alleged that McDaniels assaulted a girl four times in late 2005 and early 2006. The girl was under 12 years old at the time. McDaniels was indicted in December 2010 and pleaded not guilty to the charges in January.

The office of the District Attorney and McDaniels’ lawyer, Amanda Doherty, reached a plea agreement Monday morning, when the trial was about to begin. Jurors were dismissed at around 9:15 a.m.

treaves@sunjournal.com