A Casper man Thursday pleaded guilty to charges alleging he sexually abused a girl in October.

Phillip G. Thompson was initially charged with first-, second- and third-degree sexual abuse of a minor. As part of a plea agreement, Thompson pleaded guilty to the second-degree charge in exchange for the first- and third-degree charges being dismissed.

Thompson entered a cold plea Thursday, meaning prosecutors are not restricted in their sentencing recommendation. Second-degree sexual abuse of a minor is punishable by up to 20 years behind bars.

Thompson remains jailed. Court documents say he was 35 at the time of the incident.

According to a heavily redacted affidavit of probable cause, Casper police investigators learned from the girl's mother that Thompson locked himself in an apartment with the girl and sexually abused her.

The affidavit says the  girl's mother and Thompson were arguing Oct. 2. Thompson had been drinking heavily at the time. At roughly 11 p.m., the woman stepped outside to take a phone call.

When the woman tried to go back into the apartment roughly 20 minutes later, Thompson had locked the door. Court documents are unclear on who let the woman back in the apartment roughly 30 minutes later.

The next morning, the woman noticed the alleged victim was extremely anxious, the affidavit says.

On Oct. 3, the girl underwent an emergency interview at the Children's Advocacy Project in Casper. The girl had a pleasant demeanor with the interviewer until the topic turned to the alleged abuse. Then she became "reserved, shy and played with her hair" and said she could not remember, the affidavit says.

Days later, Thompson spoke with detectives and said he knew exactly why he was being interviewed, but denied sexually abusing the girl, court documents say.

But when a detective told Thompson that DNA had been collected from the girl's clothing, he became nervous to the point of tears and admitted to the assault before describing performing a sex act on the girl.

A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.

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