Man accused of raping sleeping woman won’t have to go on sex offender registry

A Trenton man accused of breaking into a sleeping woman's home and sexually assaulting her won't wind up on a sex offender registry, after accepting a plea deal Friday, the Trentonian reports.

Rashaun Walker is expected to spend 10 years in prison when sentenced in April — seven years for a charge of burglary, and another for a charge of witness tampering after he admitted sending his victim a letter saying his sister would "come see" her, according to the report. But other charges, including aggravated sexual assault, are being dismissed, it said.

The report notes the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office has come under scruitiny for its handling of multiple sexual assault cases — for instance, that of former Mercer County corrections officer John Ledbetter, who was admitted into pretrial intervention (a form of probatoin) after female inmates alleged he forced them to perform oral sex on him while they were in solitary confinement. Ledbetter won't lose his pension or have a criminal record if he completes the program, the report said.

Walker could have faced up to 89 years in state prison if found guilty on all counts under state law.

According to a 2013 report by the Times of Trenton, Walker escaped from an interview room and changed into a police officer's uniform in a failed attempt to escape police custody after his arrest.