     South Dakota authorities say one of the six American Legion Baseball players from Mitchell, SD, charged with rape in a hazing incident gone overboard has accepted a plea deal.
In response to 19-year-old Lincoln Bates pleading guilty to Accessory to a Felony and agreeing to testify against the other defendants, prosecutors dropped all other charges against him.
Bates faces up to 5-years in prison when he’s sentenced August 13 in Pennington County.
A grand jury indicted 6 players who were over 18 on charges of 2nd-Degree Rape and Aiding and Abetting 2nd-Degree Rape. Juvenile charges were also filed against 3 other players.
The indictments accuse the 9 of assaulting a pair of 16-year old teammates in June of last year during a tournament in Rapid City.
The other players charged in the case – Hudson Haley, Karter Sibson, Carter Miller, Peyton Mandel, and Landon Waddel – are scheduled for a status hearing in court in Rapid City on July 1st.