A 57-year-old construction contractor who was charged with having sex with a 14-year-old pleaded guilty Tuesday in Coeur d’Alene to three felony counts of injury to a child.

Daniel Mattern initially had entered not guilty pleas to two counts of lewd conduct with a child in a case stemming from allegations he molested a girl more than 20 years ago.

A judge ordered mediation last spring, which led to the amended complaint. The latest agreement vacated a jury trial set next month.

Lewd conduct can carry a sentence of life in prison. Injury to a child carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.

Katie Murdock, who handled the case for the prosecutor’s office, said in April that mediation would likely bring out more charges.

“(It) will probably include uncharged conduct as well,” Murdock said.

Mattern, who posted $250,000 bail to secure his release from jail after his February arrest, appeared in street clothes Tuesday with attorneys Rick Baughman and James Raeon of Coeur d’Alene.

The plea agreement dismisses the lewd conduct charges and allows prosecutors and defense attorneys to argue for a sentence that each deems appropriate at the Nov. 5 sentencing hearing.

Either way, First District Judge Cynthia K.C. Meyer said she was not bound by the plea bargain. She could sentence Mattern to three back-to-back, 10-year prison terms.

According to the allegations, Mattern, of Post Falls, engaged in sexual contact with at least one girl between the ages of 6 and 14 for several years between 1990 and 1998.

Charging documents stated that Mattern engaged in sex with an underage girl between 2010 and 2014, but those allegations were dismissed in the amended complaint.

Mattern, the owner of a Specialty Construction Systems, has a sound reputation as a contractor, his attorney said, and no criminal history.