Concerned about the reliability of a victim whose memory was affected by alcohol, District Attorney Will Furse reduced charges Tuesday against Clint Laner, a defendant in a Dec. 7 incident involving a female hitchhiker.
Laner on Tuesday pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit felony menacing, a crime for which he could serve up to three years with the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Furse said he has met with the victim several times and received details that counter the original police report. He said he has concerns about the reliability of her testimony because she was intoxicated at the time that Laner and co-defendant Keyshaun Begay picked her up as she was hitchhiking near Shiprock.
The District Attorney’s Office originally charged Laner with a Class 2 felony for kidnapping, a Class 3 felony for aggravated robbery and misdemeanors for DUI and resisting arrest, but the plea deal reduces the charges against Laner to conspiracy to commit menacing, a Class 6 felony.
Furse requested open sentencing and stipulated that there are aggravating circumstances, namely Laner’s extended criminal history, that could potentially double the length of any prison sentence.
Judge Todd Plewe, of the 22nd Judicial District Court, asked Furse why that plea agreement is appropriate. Furse said the conspiracy to commit menacing charge is consistent with the facts. He said Laner was driving when he picked up the victim and, along with Begay, threatened the hitchhiker with deadly force.
According to Colorado Revised Statutes, a person commits menacing if “by any threat or physical action, he or she knowingly places or attempts to place another person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury.“
Plewe accepted the plea deal. He said the maximum penalty for a Class 6 felony is 18 months in prison, but with aggravating circumstances he could serve up to three years.
Plewe lowered Laner’s cash or surety bond from $75,000 to $25,000, under the conditions of GPS monitoring, sobriety monitoring and a restraining order against the victim.
Laner is scheduled for sentencing on April 2.
sdolan@the-journal.com