South Dakota Student Who Pleaded Guilty to One Count of HIV Exposure Receives Suspended Sentence
Nikko Briteramos, the 19-year-old Si Tanka Huron University student who pleaded guilty last month to charges of knowingly exposing a woman to HIV, yesterday received a suspended five-year prison sentence with several conditions, the AP/Aberdeen American News reports. Briteramos was ordered to spend 120 days in jail, refrain from having unprotected sex without informing partners of his HIV-positive status and perform 200 hours of community service. Circuit Court Judge Tim Tucker asked Briteramos to speak at schools about AIDS and the dangers of unsafe sex, adding, "The court wants you to become the poster child for AIDS awareness." Briteramos is the first person convicted under a 2000 South Dakota law that making it a felony to intentionally expose people to HIV. He could have received up to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine (Kafka, AP/Aberdeen American News, 8/30).
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