Four years after he was arrested for raping three young boys in northern Rhea County, Ricky Lynn Cagle, 44, pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of criminal attempt to commit aggravated sexual battery.

Rhea County deputies arrested Cagle on Feb. 16, 2001, after a 10-year-old boy said Cagle raped him at Cagle's Randall Fugate Road home northeast of Spring City.

While free on a $75,000 bond, he allegedly attempted suicide a week later by taking a large quantity of prescription pills.

Cagle was then rearrested on June 5, 2001, and charged with eight additional counts of rape of a child against two other little boys.

"This guy's a danger to the community and to our kids," one boy's father said in June 2001.

Cagle's trial was postponed several times due to illnesses to key witnesses, according to Assistant District Attorney Will Dunn.

"We finally agreed to take a plea because the parents of the boys really didn't want to put them through the trauma of a trial," Dunn said. "This plea means closure for them."

In exchange for Cagle's guilty plea to the two counts of criminal attempt to commit aggravated sexual battery-a Class C felony-he received a reduced sentence. His 20-year sentence will consist of five years under house arrest, during which he will be allowed to leave home to work, followed by 15 years of Community Corrections supervision, according to Dunn. He is also prohibited from being around children without adult supervision.

"If there is any significant violation of his probation, he will have to complete all of his sentence in a state penitentiary," Dunn said.

If he had been convicted of the original charge of rape of a child-a Class A felony-Cagle could have received up to 25 years in prison for each count.

Circuit Court Judge Rusty Graham accepted Cagle's guilty plea Thursday morning.

John Carpenter can be reached at jcarpenter@xtn.net.