BRENTWOOD — A Chester man pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender but still faces charges for sexually assaulting a girl in the 1990s and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to prosecutors.

Gary Britton, 59, received a six-month jail sentence for pleading guilty last Thursday in Rockingham County Superior Court on a single count of duty to report.

The deal came weeks after he pulled away from a plea agreement that recommended a 12-month jail term.

Britton has already spent almost a year in jail since his arrest last Sept. 21 and remains held on bail as he awaits two more trials.

Lawyers are scheduled to meet with a judge on Oct. 2 regarding the status of those cases, court documents say. No trial dates have been set.

Britton faces up to 20 to 40 years in state prison in the sexual assault case if he is convicted due to his criminal record of sexually assaulting another youth, according to court records.

In 1983, Britton was convicted of aggravated felonious sexual assault involving a victim under 13 years old.

In the latest case, Britton is accused of abusing the girl in Chester between 1991 and 1995.

A grand jury indicted him on two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault and two counts of felonious sexual assault.

Indictments say the girl was between the ages of 9 and 13 years old when the abuse occurred.

Chester police arrested Britton last Sept. 21 after he failed to re-register as a sex offender with the state.

Britton was evicted from his apartment just hours before he was arrested, police said.

His landlords told police they found child pornography on Britton’s computer. A search of the home turned up a handgun.

Chester police Chief William Burke found a handgun concealed in a plastic bag on top of a dresser mirror, according to a sworn affidavit.

Britton has not been charged with possession of child pornography, but the sexual assault case came as a result of searching his computer, according to court records.

jkimble@newstote.com