A Warren man who was set for a retrial in a case involving bestiality and child sexual abuse material charges changed his plea just as his trial was about to begin.

Twenty-nine-year-old Trent Addicott, who was scheduled to go on trial for four counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor on Monday, pleaded no contest to all four charges.

This was not part of a plea deal, so no charges were amended or dismissed.

Addicott was originally sentenced to 24 to 28 years in prison on those four counts, as well as charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor and sexual conduct with an animal, in August of 2024.

However, Addicott appealed this sentence, stating that the CyberTipline reports used to link him to certain internet activity were hearsay because the state did not call a witness to verify how those records were created.

Addicott won the appeal, so the four counts of pandering sexually-oriented material were overturned, and a retrial was set.

According to his attorney, Jeff Goodman, the no contest plea is part of a legal strategy in which Addicott argues his constitutional protection against double jeopardy is violated by a retrial. 

"There is strong case law and precedent out of the United States Supreme Court that says this court simply doesn't have the right to give the prosecutor a second bite at the apple on these charges," Goodman told reporters after the plea was entered, adding that "There was no utility in Mr. Addicott going through a trial and then taking these issues up to the Court of Appeals. He has the ability to simply plead no contest, and that preserves all of those issues, sends it back up to the Court of Appeals, where they can correct what we believe to be the errors that have happened down here." 

With the plea, those four charges will be added back to Addicott's sentence, and he will serve the 24-to-28-year sentence he was originally convicted on.

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