Skylar Lorraine Picconatto, 21, Berthold, originally charged with Class A felony gross sexual imposition and accused ofsexually abusing a young girl, pleaded guilty on Monday to an amended charge of Class C felony contributing to the deprivation of a minor by encouraging the child to engage in sexual conduct.

She had been scheduled to go to trial on Tuesday along with her co-defendant and one-time boyfriend, Coby John Edwards, 26, of Berthold, who is charged with Class AA felony gross sexual imposition. Edwards is accused of sexually abusing the little girl between 2016 and 2018.

Judge Doug Mattson agreed to continue the trial for Edwards until sometime this summer after Edwards’ lawyer, Kevin McCabe, argued that he hadn’t been informed of the change of plea on Monday morning for Picconatto.

The change of plea for Picconatto was worked out between the state’s attorney’s office and her defense lawyer, Kyle Craig, late last week on the eve of the trial. Had she been convicted of the A felony she was originally charged with, she could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. A C felony charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Judge Doug Mattson has ordered a pre-trial investigation for Picconatto and has scheduled sentencing for June 21.

McCabe said he didn’t find out about the change of plea for Picconatto until he saw her being escorted out of the courtroom shortly before 11 a.m. on Monday, the time that had previously been scheduled for a pre-trial conference for Edwards and Picconatto. McCabe suggested he should have been notified of that change of plea hearing. Mattson told McCabe that he had not been told about the change of plea for Picconatto until about 10:15 a.m. on Monday. Mattson said he had not considered whether McCabe should have been informed, but he did rethink that afterwards and then made sure that Picconatto’s lawyer, Craig, was aware of a hearing scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday afternoon to determine whether to continue the trial for Edwards.

McCabe said he believed he must ask to continue the trial or would leave room for Edwards to appeal the case using the basis that he had not received adequate counsel. McCabe wants to depose Picconatto and call her as a witness for Edwards. Deputy State’s Attorney Kelly Dillon had said the state does not currently plan to call Picconatto as a witness for the state.

Dillon said she did not want to continue the trial. The child has been prepared for the trial and has a right to a have the court proceeding happen quickly.

However, “I don’t want the child to have to go through trial twice,” Dillon told the judge, and that could happen if the case results in a conviction, is appealed and overturned by the Supreme Court.

Mattson said he would agree to continue the proceedings and wants the trial scheduled over the summer, before the child has to go back to school in the fall.

Edwards faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is found guilty of the Class AA felony offense.