New plea in South Dakota HIV case

One of two HIV-positive Aberdeen, S.D., men accused of deliberately exposing their sex partners to HIV has changed his plea in the case, the Aberdeen American News reports. William K. Jenigen, who had originally pleaded not guilty to six counts of deliberate HIV exposure, this week in Brown County circuit court entered an Alford plea for one of the counts, under which Jenigen maintains his innocence but conceded that there is evidence to make his conviction likely. The other five charges were dropped through a plea bargain arrangement. Jenigen and his roommate, Jay Lee Woods, were arrested last May and charged with exposing sex partners to HIV. Woods is currently charged with four felony counts of exposing three male sex partners to HIV. His case will go to trial on March 11. Jenigen's attorney said a pre-sentencing investigation in his case will take about three weeks to complete. Each felony HIV exposure count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.