A Rock County teen can avoid a felony conviction if he follows the conditions of a hold-open agreement.

19-year-old Tyler Rabenhorst-Malone, who lists a Madison address but stated he was now homeless, was accused of spiking his stepfather’s energy drinks with an animal sedative from their Town of Lima farm in April of 2018.

He pleaded guilty Wednesday to placing foreign objects in edibles, and a charge of second-degree recklessly endangering safety was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Rock County Judge Barbara McCrory agreed to place Rabenhorst-Malone on probation for three years, with 100 hours of community service. If he completes the probation, he can petition the court to dismiss the remaining charge.

When confronted by police, Rabenhorst-Malone admitted to putting the drug in the drink because “he thought it would be funny.” The criminal complaint also reported he would touch, punch and tie up his stepdad while he was sleeping.

Assistant District Attorney Jodi Dabson Bollendorf said it was difficult to craft a proper resolution for Rabenhorst-Malone to balance punishment with a need for treatment and rehabilitation. She said the victims thought sentencing him to serve jail time could do more harm than good.