The second of three men who are facing charges in connection to the stabbing of an Albert Lea man in August pleaded guilty last week in Freeborn County District Court to the lesser of his two charges.

As part of a plea agreement between his lawyer and the Freeborn County Attorney’s Office, David Joshua-John Skotte, 19, pleaded guilty to third-degree aiding and abetting assault. He initially faced this count plus another count of second-degree aiding and abetting assault with a dangerous weapon.

The plea was classified as an Alford plea, in which a defendant maintains innocence but admits the prosecution has enough evidence to convict, usually of stiffer charges.

Under the plea, both the Freeborn County Attorney’s Office and Skotte’s lawyer are recommending Skotte serve a presumptive sentence of probation. If he violates his probation he faces either a year and a day or 15 months in prison, depending on his criminal history score.

He will get credit for time already served in jail and will also be ordered to provide a DNA sample so further testing can be done on blood recovered during the investigation.

Co-defendant Marcus Allen-Wayne Hallmark, who faced the same charges, entered the same plea in October.

The two young men are accused of holding down an Albert Lea man while 44-year-old Todd Raymond allegedly stabbed him. Skotte and Hallmark are from Columbia Heights, and Raymond is from Blaine.

The stabbing reportedly took place Aug. 8 on Columbus Avenue near the Johnson Street railroad crossing. Albert Lea had a lot of visitors that week because of the county fair.

Paulson, who faces one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm, pleaded not guilty to his charges in October.

He is scheduled for a jury trial March 1.