PIERRE - A Pierre man who was accused of shooting at another man in a Fort Pierre bar earlier this month pleaded guilty Friday to attempted aggravated assault.

In exchange for the guilty plea by David L. Hughes, an attempted murder charge and various other charges were dropped.

Hughes, 47, will be sentenced Feb. 13. He faces up to 7½ years in prison.

Authorities say Hughes fired a gun at Ricky L. Jackson, 28, of North Sioux City during a confrontation over Jackson's relationship with Hughes' daughter. One shot was fired in the bar, which features strippers.

Hughes told Circuit Judge Mark Barnett that he didn't plan to kill Jackson, 28, but just wanted to scare him so he'd leave his daughter alone.

Some readers who posted comments at the Pierre Capital Journal's Web site had called for the bar - the Hop Scotch Club - to be shut down. Others defended the bar, which features female dancers.

"It brings money into the local economy," Hunter Stoeser of Fort Pierre said.

"I personally don't go, but I think it's very popular among the guys who come here for hunting and fishing," George Loprenzi from Aberdeen said. "It's sort of a male-bonding ritual."

The city of Fort Pierre has not received any calls regarding the Hop Scotch Club, Mayor Sam Tidball said.

The Rev. Brian Christensen of St. John's Catholic Church in Fort Pierre said he is not sure the bar should be closed down but finds the entertainment distasteful.

"I think it's demeaning toward women," Christensen said. "It's one thing to socialize and get together with friends; it's another thing to exploit people for your own enjoyment."

The clergyman also said he doesn't think the Hop Scotch was responsible for the shooting.

Hop Scotch manager Don Abrahamson agreed.

"If the shooting hadn't occurred here, it would have happened somewhere else," he said. "The entertainment is controversial and some people just aren't going to care for it."