Two women charged in armed robbery
A plea hearing for Nicole Hill, 24, address undisclosed, has been set on Dec. 8, after she posted a $3,000 bond on charges of armed robbery, felony menacing, theft and child abuse stemming from a home invasion that reportedly occurred on July 23.
Hill’s initial bond of $25,000 bond was lowered to $1,500 in September, and then raised to $3,000 in October after she failed to comply with bond conditions.
Co-defendant Shelby Mudgett, 25, address undisclosed, has pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to commit theft of a person and misdemeanor child abuse in connection to the case. Mudgett’s plea deal, if accepted at sentencing next month, includes 24 months of supervised probation and a deferred judgment.
Mudgett’s initial $20,000 bond was lowered to $1,500 in August. She remains out of custody.
Prosecutors have alleged that the defendants entered a residence that had children inside and stole more than $3,000 in cash.
Ignacio man pleads not guilty in assault
Alvin Nelson, 34, of Ignacio, has pleaded not guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in connection to an incident on July 31. A three-day jury trial was set in February. Nelson remains in custody under a $5,000 bond.
Man gets hearing in witness-bribery case
A plea hearing for Anthony Benoit, 50, address undisclosed, has been set on Dec. 8, after he posted a $2,000 bond in September on charges of bribing a witness and violating a civil protection order. The alleged offense occurred on Sept. 1.
Warrant issued in assault of officer
A $1,500 bench warrant was issued for Stephen Chevalier, 31, of Cortez, after he failed to appear for a plea hearing on charges of assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and violating a criminal protection order in connection to an incident on July 28.
Probation hearing delayed after assault
A probation revocation hearing has been postponed until next week for Rosco Hampson, 27, of Cortez, after he allegedly assaulted his father while serving a deferred judgment on felony aggravated motor vehicle theft and trespass charges connected to the theft of multiple automobiles in 2014.
At Hampson’s sentencing, victims opposed the plea deal, which included a 24-month term in drug court, supervised probation and 90 hours of community service.
Hampson was charged after the theft of vehicles from a local auto dealer and a subsequent pursuit by officers over Halloween weekend last year.
Police interview faces review
At an arraignment hearing for John Jones, 30, of Cortez, prosecutors were granted a continuance until December to review a police interview with the defendant. Out of custody on a $1,000 bond, Jones was arrested on drug and providing false information charges on Aug. 28. A plea deal has been offered.
Trial set in livestock shooting
An April trial date has been set for Scott Klassen, 57, of Dolores, who has been charged with a single felony count for theft of agriculture animals.
Out of custody after being issued a summons, Klassen reportedly shot and killed a 4-year-old Charolais bull valued at $7,500 along the 14000 block of County Road 27 on May 25. If convicted, Klassen could be sentenced up to six years in prison.
Trial set in Cortez man’s drug case
A March trial date has been set for Ricardo Paredes-Baca, 50, of Cortez, who has been charged with multiple drug offenses stemming from an incident on Aug. 9. Paredes-Baca remains out of custody after posting a $1,000 bond.
New trial date set in burglary, assault case
A new trial date was set in March for Carl Schulte, 46, of Cortez, at the request of a public defender. Schulte was arrested and charged with burglary, two counts of assault, trespass and menacing in connection to an incident on Jan. 18. Schulte remains in custody under a $4,000 bond.
Felony conviction in alcohol purchase
In custody on a $10,000 bond, Dennis Altamirano, 25, of Mancos, admitted to violating probation in connection to a 2012 felony charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was sentenced to time served.
A public defender argued that the case was a “miscarriage of justice,” stating Altamirano now had a felony conviction on his record for buying alcohol to share with his underage girlfriend.
Understanding of the defense argument, the court said the defendant made a poor choice to “blow off probation.”
Drunken driver faces drug court screening
At a probation revocation hearing, the court ordered that Amador Begaye, 33, of Cortez, be screened for drug court. Begaye was previously kicked out of DUI court because of meth use, a probation officer said. The hearing was continued to Dec. 10.
Convicted of vehicular assault and DUI, Begaye previously served 60 days in jail in connection to a 2014 Fourth of July drunken driving crash on Colorado 145. A passenger suffered a traumatic brain injury and lacerations to internal organs.
Mental evaluation put on hold
In custody on misdemeanor alcohol charges since Sept. 4, Clarence Carr, 52, of Cortez, will remain behind bars after state officials advised that a mental health evaluation couldn’t be conducted until February.
After concerns about due process and a speedy trial were raised by the defense, the court agreed to make arrangements with the sheriff’s office to transport Carr for an outpatient mental health evaluation.
Charged with two counts of felony menacing stemming from an incident in August, Carr’s arraignment hearing was continued until Dec. 10.
Criminal mischief case ends in jail time
At a probation revocation hearing, Ketterson Harvey, 39, of Cortez, was sentenced to 90 days in jail after admitting that he violated probation in connection to a 2011 criminal mischief case.
After receiving a deferred judgment and sentence, Harvey reportedly left the state without permission, and his whereabouts were unknown.
The criminal mischief case was reportedly connected to a DUI stop. Authorities alleged that children were inside the defendant’s automobile when he rammed an officer’s vehicle.
Court issues four bench warrants
A bench warrant was issued for Giovani Menendez, 20, of Blanding, Utah, after he failed to appear for arraignment on multiple charges. Out of custody after posting a $5,000 bond, the defendant was arrested and charged on Aug. 19 with assaulting police, resisting arrest, burglary, trespassing, criminal mischief, violating bond conditions and violating a protection order. In a separate incident on Aug. 8, Menendez was arrested and charged with assaulting a pregnant woman, assaulting police, obstruction and criminal mischief.
A bench warrant was issued for Cheyanne Maslen, 26, of Dolores, after she failed to appear for arraignment on two counts of drug distribution and four counts of child abuse in connection to incidents that occurred in April. The judge advised a defense attorney that Department of Human Services might be called.
Maslen was out of custody after posting a $30,000 bond.
A bench warrant was issued for Terry Emmons, 29, address unknown, after he failed to appear for a revocation hearing. Emmons was sentenced in March to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to violating probation in connection to a 2013 auto trespassing conviction.
Unemployed at the time, Emmons had planned to apply for a job at Walmart, but instead stole a purse from a vehicle in the store’s parking lot.
Meth user accepts plea deal
Jason Rose, 34, of Dolores, will be sentenced in January after pleading guilty to drug possession charges connected to his arrest in September. Five misdemeanor charges remain pending in county court.
The plea deal includes a deferred judgment and 24 months of supervised probation. A meth user, Rose will also be screened for drug court.
A $5,000 bond was reduced to $1,000.
DUI suspect pleads not guilty
A February trial date was set for Rodney Hatch, 56, of Towaoc, after he pleaded not guilty to felony DUI. The defense is expected to file a suppression motion regarding the Oct. 3 traffic stop over a broken taillight. Out of custody after posting a $5,000 bond, Hatch also is charged with driving with a revoked license and lack of insurance.
Fugitive waives extradition to Ohio
In custody since an arrest on Nov. 9, Derrick Allmon, 26, waived extradition to Ohio on unknown charges.
Tobie Baker