A former Pymatuning Township man accused of sexually abusing two teen-age girls and a woman over 19 months pleaded guilty by no contest to reduced charges Monday in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.

Mark A. "Dusty" Bragg, 42, of Johns Island, S.C., pleaded guilty to one count of statutory sexual assault, a second-degree felony; one count of sexual assault, a second-degree felony; and one count of recklessly endangering another person, a misdemeanor.

Bragg faces a maximum of 22 years in jail and $55,000 in fines.

Bragg had faced two counts each of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, recklessly endangering another person, indecent assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children and three counts of making terroristic threats.

According to affidavits, Bragg forced the women to watch sexual acts and perform sexual acts on each other and on him between March 1998 and December 2000 at a mobile home in Scenic Mobile Home Park in Pymatuning Township, where they lived.

In court Monday, Assistant District Attorney Robert G. Kochems said the older of the girls described a July 4, 1999, incident in which Bragg had anal sex with her and later held a gun to her, saying he could kill her and "no one would know because of the fireworks."

After the July 4 incident, the older girl told the woman about the incident, which prompted Braggs and the woman to argue, Kochems said. The girl said Braggs pointed a shotgun at the woman, Kochems said.

Kochems said the younger girl said she was forced to watch as Braggs and the woman had sex, and said she was "forced to have anal or oral intercourse two or three times a week, with never more than two weeks off."

The girls were 14 and 16 when the incidents began.

The case was heard by Judge Thomas Dobson, who set Braggs' sentencing for Dec. 31.

Braggs was represented by Wes Rowden of Meadville, who referred to the charges as "terrible accusations."

"It's been going on for a long time ... my client wanted a sentence he could live with," Rowden said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Amanda Smith-Teutsch at ateutsch@sharonherald.com