SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) -- A Democratic state legislator has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges.

The attorney general's office says Rep. Harold Mitchell of Spartanburg must pay about $6,000 to avoid jail.

Mitchell pleaded guilty Monday to not filing his 2007 and 2008 returns on time. Felony tax evasion charges were dismissed.

A one-year prison sentence was suspended to three years of probation, provided he pays $5,990 for taxes owed from 2005 through 2008. Prosecutors say that while the plea involved two years, he must pay what was owed during all four.

Mitchell says he's acknowledged all along that he filed late. He still contends he doesn't owe but says he'll pay it to put the ordeal behind him. The House suspended him in January, following his indictment. He won re-election without opposition.