North Dakota catholic priest, Neil Pfeifer, has reached a plea deal that will see him serve no jail time for raping a woman in his church

North Dakota catholic priest, Neil Pfeifer, has reached a plea deal that will see him serve no jail time, if he completes 50 hours of community service, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor sexual assault for raping a woman in his church.

Clark sentenced Pfeifer to 360 days in the Stutsman County Correctional Center, with credit for one day served and all but 10 days suspended. In addition, the nine remaining days would be suspended if Pfeifer performs 50 hours of community service by Sept. 15. Pfeifer was also ordered to pay $325 in court fees and placed on three years of unsupervised probation.

A former Jamestown priest changed his plea on Thursday morning, the day his trial was supposed to start for accusations of sexual exploitation.

Neil Joseph Pfeifer pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual assault and a felony charge of sexual exploitation by a therapist was dismissed. A second charge of sexual exploitation by a therapist was also previously dismissed.

A woman gave a victim impact statement on Thursday, saying she has contemplated suicide, experienced recurring nightmares of being in the church, and feelings of isolation from her family.

After learning of the charges against Pfeifer, the Fargo Diocese released the following statement:

“The Diocese of Fargo learned of this allegation after receiving the prior allegation of misconduct from Jamestown. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement, and I encourage anyone with additional information to contact law enforcement officials. Any and all sexual misconduct by those who work for the Church is unacceptable and contrary to our Faith and life in Christ. We continue to pray for all involved.”

A woman gave a victim impact statement on Thursday, saying she has contemplated suicide, experienced recurring nightmares of being in the church, and feelings of isolation from her family.

After learning of the charges against Pfeifer, the Fargo Diocese released the following statement:

“The Diocese of Fargo learned of this allegation after receiving the prior allegation of misconduct from Jamestown. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement, and I encourage anyone with additional information to contact law enforcement officials. Any and all sexual misconduct by those who work for the Church is unacceptable and contrary to our Faith and life in Christ. We continue to pray for all involved.”