INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — State Attorney Bruce Colton said Thursday that the plea deal offered to now-19-year-old Sebastian River High School graduate Kaitlyn Hunt was offered in July – not the day before his office filed a notice of violation of her pre-trial release conditions.
The confusion stemmed from a court hearing held on Wednesday, during which the formalized, written version of the plea deal was presented – a day before Hunt was put on notice for communicating with her now-ex-girlfriend.
Colton said his office wanted on record the plea deal offered back in July. Having it as part of the record would prevent Hunt from filing an appeal – if later convicted on sex charges – based on her not having been notified of the plea deal.
Hunt declined the plea deal in July, Colton said.
Even though Hunt now faces the prospect of having her bond revoked and being placed in jail until her trial, Colton said the plea deal is still on the table.
The plea deal, however, deals only with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child and a count of interfering with a minor’s custody.
According to the violation notice that was filed in court on Thursday, Hunt could face new felony charges for transmitting lewd and lascivious images to the minor. Authorities have 25 photos and videos of a pornographic nature that they say Hunt took of herself and sent to the minor, now-15 years old.
Colton said that, if the allegations hold up, his office, the Sheriff’s Office, and the families of the victim and Hunt would discuss whether the current plea deal satisfies all charges.
