Ex-Iowa State student faces sentencing in sex assault case

In this undated booking photo released by the Story County Sheriff's Office in Nevada, Iowa, former Iowa State University student Patrick Whetstone is shown. Whetstone, 21, is expected to be sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, for sexually assaulting another student, in a case that has roiled the university and led to a federal investigation of the school. (Story County Sheriff's Office via AP) (The Associated Press)

Melissa Maher poses on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, at the courthouse in Nevada, Iowa. Maher addressed Patrick Whetstone who assaulted her at an Iowa State University party in 2014 before his sentencing. Under a plea agreement accepted by a judge, Whetstone will be on probation for two years, followed by 10 years of monitoring and a lifetime requirement that he register as a sex offender. (AP Photo/Ryan J. Foley) (The Associated Press)

NEVADA, Iowa – A former Iowa State University student is expected to be sentenced Thursday for sexually assaulting an unconscious female student after an on-campus party.

A plea agreement calls for 21-year-old Patrick Whetstone to avoid prison but be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Under the agreement, Whetstone pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, an aggravated misdemeanor. Prosecutors dismissed three felony sexual abuse charges.

A now-21-year-old woman from Texas told police she had become ill from drinking alcohol at the party on March 30, 2014, and fell asleep on a couch. She says she woke up to find Whetstone assaulting her.

The woman has filed a lawsuit accusing the university of botching its handling of the case. Her complaint has prompted a federal investigation.