More years ago than I care to remember, I worked in the legal system in Colorado. At that time and in that place, the past tense of "to plead" was always "pled". Now I'm back in Ohio and hear the consistent use of "pleaded" as the past tense. Dictionary.com lists both as acceptable past tense, with "pleaded" given first. Does anyone know if this is a recent change in usage or if the difference is, maybe, regional?