A Tamaqua area man pleaded guilty in Carbon County court to one count of aggravated sexual assault stemming from an incident that occurred about a decade ago.

Dustin Brian Shields, 26, of 503 Ben Titus Road, Rush Township, appeared before Judge Joseph J. Matika to enter his plea.He was charged on Sept. 25, 2013, by Nesquehoning police with incidents that occurred in the fall of 2001-02.On June 26, 2013, officer Dane O'Brien was contacted by the Carbon County Children & Youth office regarding an alleged sexually related incident that was reported to the agency earlier. The father of the victim said his daughter informed him that she was forced to have sexual relations with Shields at her then-Nesquehoning home. The incidents occurred when she was 3 to 6 years of age.On July 2, 2013, the girl was interviewed by the Children's Advocacy Center in Scranton. She told the interviewers that Shields forced her perform a sex act with him on multiple occasions in her Nesquehoning home. She was asked why she did not report the incidents after they occurred and she said Shields had threatened to kill her if she told anyone.On Sept. 6, 2013, Shields was interviewed by O'Brien during which the suspect admitted performing the sex act with the girl on two occasions in the fall of 2001-02 when he was 12 to 13 years old.Matika accepted the plea but deferred sentencing. The charge falls under the provisions of Megan's Law.Shields will have to undergo an evaluation by the state sexual assessment board to determine if he is a sexually violent predator.Matika also ordered the adult probation to prepare a presentence investigation report.Shields was scheduled to go on trial Monday in the county court. In exchange for his plea, charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and terroristic threats were dropped.