JACKSON, MI - Former Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings accepted a plea agreement, tossing out the 15 charges against him for engaging prostitutes and neglect of office Tuesday afternoon.

Dunnings accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to one felony count of misconduct in office, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of soliciting a prostitute in the Jackson County District Court, Aug. 2.

Standing next to defense attorney Vincent Toussaint, Dunnings said very little aside from "guilty" when asked how he pleaded.

According to the plea agreement, Dunnings pleads guilty to one felony count of misconduct in office, which is an amended version of his original pandering charge, one count of soliciting a prostitute in return for dropping the remaining 13 charges.

Dunnings originally faced 15 charges across three counties for his alleged patronage of prostitutes between 2010 and 2015, according to Attorney General Bill Schuette's Office.

He was charged with 10 counts of engaging a prostitute, four counts of willful neglect of duty and one count of felony prostitution and pandering. The 15 counts are spread across Ingham, Clinton and Ionia counties.

Jackson County District Court Judge Michael Klaeren presided over the cases in 55 and 54A District Court after the respective judges recused themselves.

Dunnings' arrest stemmed from a federal investigation of a human trafficking ring that took place in Michigan in 2015. Tyrone Smith, the ring leader, pleaded guilty on three counts of sex trafficking young girls and women.

Smith, who had previously served 15 years for second-degree murder, recruited Lansing-based women for his interstate sex operation, according to a press release from the Justice Department.

Further federal investigation into Smith led to Ingham County's top prosecutor.

Evidence surfaced upon further investigation that Dunnings allegedly paid for sex on hundreds of occasions between 2010 and 2015.

It was later found that the prosecutor allegedly introduced a woman into becoming a prostitute.

Dunnings, who is a Democrat, has served as Ingham County's top prosecutor since 1997. He won his re-election bid in 2012 with nearly 70 percent of the vote. He was at the tail-end of his fifth term when the charges were announced March 14.

He later announced he would be resigning from his position effective July 1 and chose not to seek re-election.

Given the unusual circumstances of the case, a circuit court judge and sentencing date has not been set at this time.

The Michigan Attorney General's Office intends to seek a maximum prison sentence of five years for the misconduct in office charge, according to a release.

In accepting the felony plea agreement, Dunnings' licence to practice law in the state of Michigan is automatically suspended.

The Attorney General's Office will be sending a letter to the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission notifying them of the felony plea and is pursing a permanent suspension of Dunning's licence, according to a release.

To read all the stories about the Dunnings case, click here.