ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A 91-year-old Asheville man entered Alford guilty pleas to four counts of misdemeanor sexual battery this week.
Shi Ying Kuai was sentenced to serve four terms of 60 days in custody suspended with supervised probation for a term of 12 months. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 30 years.
An Alford plea is a guilty plea in which a defendant maintains their innocence but admits the prosecution’s evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to trial. A defendant who pleads guilty pursuant to Alford is treated by law in the same way as any other defendant who pleads guilty to a criminal charge.
Pursuant to N.C. victims rights laws, the victims were consulted by prosecutors and approved the probationary sentences. Other terms of judgment remained in the court’s discretion.
Kuai was arrested on Sept. 26, 2023, and charged with second-degree sex offense and sexual battery. He was accused of assaulting a woman during an acupuncture treatment at his home office on Arlington Street.