Staff reports

Former District 4 County Commissioner Reginald Loper was in court Aug. 26 before Judge Gates Peed.

Court records show that all three counts against Loper are “nol pros”  -- meaning that the prosecutor or plaintiff has decided to abandon the prosecution -- and the charges are reduced to misdemeanors.

Court documents also indicate that Loper has entered an “Alford plea,” to the lesser charge of misdemeanor simple battery, which is “a guilty plea entered by a criminal defendant who does not admit guilt, but nevertheless pleads guilty as part of a plea bargain,” according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. It avoids a trial in which Loper could have faced a harsher sentence.

Court records also show that Loper may be sentenced to 12 months’ probation and pay a $500 fine.