A Durango man was sentenced to one year of probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to harassment and domestic violence.
James Andrew Mackay was arrested in December after police found a vehicle crashed through a fence on the East Seventh Avenue side of Park Elementary School in Durango.
Police were originally contacted after a resident in a nearby apartment complex heard a man yelling and a woman crying. Another resident also contacted police about the white 2010 Chevrolet Malibu that had crashed into the fencing near the elementary school.
When police officers arrived, the car was empty, but Mackay was found less than a block away on College Drive, matching the description from the dispatch call.
The woman who was with Mackay also called police from an empty apartment on East Seventh Avenue. The woman said she had been driving the car that crashed through the fence and lost control of the vehicle after Mackay struck her twice in the right side of her face. Both were intoxicated at the time.
The victim did not wish to speak at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing.
Mackay said at the hearing that he is ready to “get my life back in order and move on.”
Mackay’s attorney, David Greenberg, said Mackay is a “low to moderate risk for future acts of domestic violence,” and “motivated to get treatment.” Therefore, the deferred judgment and sentence of 12 months probation is appropriate, Greenberg said.
ehayes@durangoherald.com
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