Kenneth Steven Wells Sr., 61, entered an Alford plea Monday in Warren Circuit Court to one count of second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor.

The case against a Bowling Green man accused of sexual abuse was settled with a plea agreement days before a scheduled trial.

Kenneth Steven Wells Sr., 61, entered an Alford plea on Monday in Warren Circuit Court to one count of second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor.

In an Alford plea, a defendant denies wrongdoing but acknowledges that enough evidence exists for a jury to return a guilty verdict.

Wells was placed on pretrial diversion for five years and was ordered to undergo a substance abuse evaluation and have no contact with the juvenile identified in court documents as the victim.

If Wells completes the pretrial diversion, the conviction will come off his record, but a violation of the terms of the diversion will subject him to a two-year prison sentence.

A jury trial in the case had been scheduled to begin Wednesday.

Police investigated Wells in 2014 in response to a report that he had touched a 9-year-old girl inappropriately while she was in his care.

According to a Bowling Green Police Department report, the juvenile had disclosed to her mother that Wells had touched her genitalia during an overnight visit. The mother informed the girl’s father, and the police were contacted.

The girl was taken to the Barren River Child Advocacy Center to be interviewed, and during the interview she told authorities that she had awakened twice to find Wells touching her under her clothes.

A forensic medical exam determined that no physical trauma had been caused as a result of the encounter and no injuries were observed, the police report stated.

Wells was arrested June 25, 2014, after informing city police that he would not speak to them without an attorney. 

A Warren County grand jury later indicted Wells on one count of first-degree sexual abuse, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

— Follow courts reporter Justin Story on Twitter @jstorydailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.