The plea followed a jury trial last week that ended in a mistrial after jurors announced they could not reach a verdict on the six charges.

During the trial, witnesses had testified about the day in April when Christopher Wayne Young, 36, allegedly took his children - ages 6, 4 and 18 months - to the edge of a cliff, telling them they were going to die together.

Prosecutor Donna Kelly said she will probably seek prison time for Young. Each count of child abuse, a second-degree felony, carries a possible term of one to 15 years and the sentences could run consecutively.

Kelly said Young's children need to feel safe and have "some time to heal."

Defense attorney Richard Gale said Young doesn't deserve a prison sentence because he has largely gotten over the depression that led him to commit the crimes. "He was obviously distraught and depressed because of the divorce [he was going through]," said Gale. "I don't think there's a danger he'd ever do that again."

Young's ex-wife has agreed with the resolution of the case, Kelly said. Members of Young's family in attendance declined to comment on the plea deal, saying only that they hoped his prison sentence wouldn't be too long.