UPDATE:Kaitlyn Hunt accepts plea bitly link: http://bit.ly/17wUr0s
EARLIER STORY:
SEBASTIAN, Fla. -- Kaitlyn Hunt, her alleged victim, and their attorneys accepted a plea deal, which they are expected to sign Thursday morning.
This comes after Hunt was charges with having a sexual relationship with a minor at her High School.
Among the requirements of the deal, Hunt will have to plead no contest to two felony charges, spend two years on house arrest, and remain in the Indian River County Jail until Dec. 20.
The deal is the third plea deal she has been offered, and now, possibly the best chance for her to begin the end to this chapter in her life.
Residents in her home town of Sebastian agree that they are ready to see the case wrap up, after they've been hearing about it for nearly 8 months.
"It's been on for like, months, and I'm like, 'why?" said Sebastian resident Taylor-Anne Donnally.
"She can get on with her life," said resident Judy Staalesen.
The Kaitlyn Hunt case drew national attention when the Hunt family claimed she was becoming the victim of a hate crime because of her homosexuality.
District 19 State Attorney Bruce Colton said all along, the issue was her sexual relationship with a minor.
"It had nothing to do with any gay rights or homosexual relationship whatsoever," Colton said.
Colton says the latest plea deal offer may be the first step in taking the limelight off of Hunt.
"I think it's a good resolution, and it's the kind of resolution we've been looking for," Colton said.
Some Sebastian residents agree. "It is some type of resolution, so she can probably see the end of the road at some point," resident Lathrus Godwin said.
Hunt's attorney, Julia Graves, agreed that the deal will help Hunt's life return to normal. She says they will still fight for a change in the future to the law prohibiting adults from dating minors.
In a statement, Graves said, "The next task upon her release from incarceration is to work with supporters and lawmakers toward a change in the law for teenagers attending the same school, no matter what their sexual orientation is."
Godwin said through the spotlight on Hunt, the community did learn a valuable lesson."The law is the law. No getting around the law."
Colton says the plea deal is beneficial to both parties in the case in that Hunt will still be requires to keep no contact with the victim, protecting the victim. Hunt will also not be required to register as a sex offender, or go to trial.
