An 18-year-old Mancos boy has been approved for a youth offender program after he admitted to hitting a minor in the head with a hammer.<\/p>\n
Austin Yeager, 18, was sentenced this week to a three-year term at the state\u2019s Youthful Offender System. The medium-security prison houses teens aged 14 to 19.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen some successes in these programs, and I hope you\u2019re one of those successes,\u201d Chief District Court Judge Doug Walker told Yeager.<\/p>\n
In January, Yeager pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in connection to beating his former 16-year-old girlfriend with a hammer in October.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wished it never happened,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not a bad person. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public defender Kenneth Pace said the state\u2019s youth offender program had a 30 percent recidivism rate, compared with the state\u2019s prison system, at 70 percent.<\/p>\n
District Attorney Will Furse was on board with the decision, stating his office had received \u201czero cooperation\u201d from the victim. A protection order remains in place.<\/p>\n
Medical records reveal the victim suffered a concussion, three lacerations on her forehead and a contusion.<\/p>\n
Yeager was also ordered to undergo domestic violence evaluation and treatment and pay $4,000 in restitution. He was credited for 157 days served.<\/p>\n
Wannabe cannibal sentenced<\/p>\n
A mentally disturbed man will avoid jail if he enters an in-patient treatment center.<\/p>\n
Joshua Berry, 22, was sentenced this week to 24 months of supervised probation. He was ordered to seek mental health treatment until he could find a bed at an in-patient treatment center. He was also sentenced to 90 days in jail with credit for 259 days served.<\/p>\n
Berry reportedly fired a rifle at several residences last summer with the intent to kill his neighbors so he could \u201ceat them,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n
Public defender Kenneth Pace argued against a longer jail sentence, saying a psychological evaluation revealed that his client suffered from severe PTSD in connection to longstanding child abuse and extensive trauma.<\/p>\n
Berry previously pleaded guilty to illegal discharge of a firearm and harassment involving ethnic intimidation. No injuries were reported as a result of the shootings.<\/p>\n
Purse snatcher violates probation<\/p>\n
A convicted purse-snatcher who violated terms of his probation will now sit in jail.<\/p>\n
Terry Emmons, 29, was sentenced to 90 days in jail this week after he admitted violating his probation. He was credited with 41 days served.<\/p>\n
District Attorney Will Furse said the defendant had \u201cfailed miserably\u201d at a second chance.<\/p>\n
Last month, Emmons was placed on 12 months of supervised probation after he stole a purse from inside a vehicle parked at the Cortez Walmart last fall. Unemployed at the time, Emmons had gone to the store to apply for a job, said Public Defender Kent Pace, who described his actions as an \u201cimpulsive crime of opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emmons pleaded guilty to auto trespassing in connection to the incident at a hearing on Feb. 6, as part of an agreement for deferred prosecution.<\/p>\n
Sex-assault trial rescheduled<\/p>\n
A Cortez man facing assault, menacing, sexual assault, false imprisonment and harassment charges has waived his right to a speedy trial.<\/p>\n
In custody, Allen Dietz, 56, of Dolores, was granted a new trial date. The trial was rescheduled for Aug. 3. Dietz has pleaded not guilty to 15 felony and misdemeanor charges.<\/p>\n
According to court records, Dietz apparently threatened the alleged victim with physical abuse to engage in sex throughout their three-year relationship. Authorities said the alleged victim recorded some of the reported incidents.<\/p>\n
Divorcee now faces trespass charge<\/p>\n
A California man convicted last month on multiple domestic violence charges was slapped again with a trespass charge this week.<\/p>\n
After pleading guilty to attempting to commit trespass, Thomas Reim, 68, was ordered to pay $11,000 restitution within 90 days to avoid jail.<\/p>\n
Addressing the court, Reim said the victim, his ex-wife, had received $500,000 in their divorce settlement. He said the trespass charge enabled her to attack him again.<\/p>\n
Walker said the divorce was not at issue as he sentenced Reim to 24 months of probation. He told Reim that a protection order remained, and he was not permitted to possess a firearm because of the domestic violence conviction.<\/p>\n
A Montezuma County jury found Reim guilty of theft, harassment and criminal mischief charges after he ransacked his ex-wife\u2019s Mancos home in December 2013.<\/p>\n