A former North Carolina cop pleaded guilty Friday to sex crimes against children at a South Carolina church group he led and got an extra year in prison for missing his court date a day earlier.

Judge Dan Hall still allowed Erickson Douglas Lee, 26, to plead guilty to five charges instead of the 11 he initially faced in exchange for nine years in prison instead of up to 20 on each charge, The Herald reported. The remaining six charges were dismissed.

Lee was arrested in May 2023 after officials at Morningstar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina, received information he had held nude parties at his home while volunteering for a youth group from 2020 to 2023 at the church and had improperly touched boys in the group and provided them with alcohol. He was fired from his job at the Cornelius Police Department after his arrest.

Lee pleaded guilty under an Alford plea, which does not require him to admit guilt. Instead, he merely admits that the evidence was likely sufficient to convict him. He will serve his nine years in a South Carolina prison and must register as a sex offender.

Deputies arrested Lee Friday morning on a bench warrant Hall signed when he didn’t show up at court a day earlier. Once in court, he said he hoped the victims could some day forgive him.

The judge also agreed to a restraining order that bars Lee from contacting his victims for 50 years.

Three of the victims and their families have filed lawsuits against Lee, the church, and church officials alleging negligence and a coverup. Churh CEO Rick Joyner denied the allegations in the lawsuits.

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[Featured image: Erickson Douglas Lee/York County Detention Center]