NORWICH – An 85-year-old man originally charged with resisting arrest pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after a judge initially denied his plea arrangement with prosecutors because the defendant was still proclaiming innocence.

Norwich City Court Judge James Downey accepted the plea last week after denying a plea bargain April 22 that offered nearly the same deal with one exception: defendant John Currie had refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing in the case.

Under the prior deal, prosecutors were willing to allow Currie to make an Alford Plea in the case. An Alford Plea is a guilty plea in New York State in which a defendant pleads guilty to a crime without actually admitting they committed it, in effect saying they don’t believe they can prove their innocence with the evidence against them.

First Assistant District Attorney Stephen Dunshee said prosecutors were willing to accept an Alford Plea to disorderly conduct, a violation in lieu of the original resisting arrest and harassment misdemeanor charges due to Currie’s age, active employment, service as a combat veteran in the Korean War and lack of criminal history.