Carlos Deon Williamson, 29, entered into a plea agreement Tuesday with the district attorneys office pleading no contest to a count of misdemeanor false imprisonment.
Under the agreement, all other charges will be dismissed.
If the judge accepts the agreement, Williamson would serve supervised probation, 24 hours of public service and no additional jail.
However, if the judge rejects the offer, Williamson could serve three to 12 months in jail and face a fine up to $1,000.
Initially accused of holding a Montezuma County family at gunpoint for several hours, the case took a turn when a key witness changed her story.
According to court documents, Christina Schulte and George Schulte gave a statement to Montezuma County Sheriffs Office deputies on June 29, saying that three days prior, the couple returned approximately 10 p.m. to their residence in the 29000 block of County Road P.5 to find Williamson inside with their daughter, 18-year-old Christella Yapelli.
At the time, Christina Schulte alleged to deputies that Williamson went to the back room, retrieved a shotgun and said: Were going to play a game. Shut the curtains.
Williamson then held the family at gunpoint, the Schultes alleged at the time, pointing the gun at them and threatening to shoot whenever someone moved.
Approximately three hours later, George Schulte reportedly asked Williamson if he could retrieve two younger children sleeping in a vehicle outside the residence and put them to bed. At that point, Williamson allowed the family to leave.
In a preliminary hearing in July, Christina Schulte changed her story.
She said her husband is affiliated with the Aryan Nations and did not want his Caucasian daughter, 18-year-old Yapelli, dating Williamson, a black man.
She blamed the candle lighting of the room for her inability to identify the weapon, saying she got the idea that it was a shotgun from her husband.
During the initial statement, the Schultes described the incident in great detail as well as the weapon, which they described at the time as a 12-gauge, long-barreled, pistol-grip shotgun.
A month later, Christina Schulte testified that Williamson might have instead waved a pipe-like object around during an argument. She said she was, in fact, not in fear for her life and could have left at any time.
During a search of the residence, deputies reported locating 12-gauge shotgun shells in a vent, but no weapon matching the description was found.
Attorneys representing Williamson have said they believed there was a low chance of conviction in the case.
Williamson awaits sentencing in January.
Reach Reid Wright at reidw@cortezjournal.com.
