In Greene County district court information is available that a judgment was entered Aug. 11 against Richard J. Sabus, 54 of Churdan after he entered an Alford plea* to a charge of theft-second degree. Sabus was sentenced to five years in prison; the prison term was suspended and he was placed on probation for two years. Sabus was fined $750 with a $262.50 surcharge and a $125 Law Enforcement Initiative surcharge. He must pay $5,999.86 restitution to Rueter’s Red Power and $180 court costs. Sabus was initially charged with theft- first degree and two counts of possession of stolen property. (Sentencing: Honorable Adria A. Kester)
Theresa Kathleen Garcia Ferguson, 39, of Fort Dodge was sentenced Aug. 11 to two years in prison after she pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine- second offense, amended from possession of methamphetamine- third or subsequent offense. The prison term was suspended and she was placed on probation for two years. She must undergo a substance abuse evaluation and complete any recommendations at her own expense, and her driver’s license was revoked for 180 days. Ferguson was fined $625 with a $218.75 surcharge, a $10 surcharge for drug abuse resistance education (DARE) and a $125 LEI surcharge. She must also pay restitution for her court appointed attorney’s fees to be determined and $100 court costs. A charge of possession of marijuana- third or subsequent offense was dismissed. A companion case in magistrate court in which Ferguson was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia was also dismissed. Court costs in that case were $60. (Sentencing: Kester)
Jesus M. Zuniga Jr, 18, of Jefferson was sentenced to a pair of two-year prison terms, concurrent, after he pleaded guilty to one count of burglary- third degree and one count of carrying weapons. The prison terms were suspended and he was placed on probation for two years. On each charge he was fined $625 with a $218.75 surcharge and a $125 LEI surcharge. He must pay restitution for his court appointed attorney’s fees to be dismissed and $100 court costs. (Sentencing: Kester)
Persons pleaded not guilty at arraignments as follows: Michael Eugene Hamilton, 40, of Grand Junction, burglary- third degree; Niko Lee Rice, 23, of Jefferson, attempted murder, domestic abuse assault impeding air/blood flow, willful injury causing serious injury, and harassment- third degree; Austin Matthew Moon, 22, of Ogden, operating while intoxicated- first offense and possession of marijuana- first offense; and Ellen Lordelia Fetters, 61, of Bayard, gambling- false statement on job application. A Sept. 25 trial date was set for Rice. Trial dates of Oct. 31 were set for Hamilton, Moon and Fetters.
Cases were initiated in district court as follows: Michael Eugene Hamilton, 40, of Grand Junction, possession of methamphetamine- third or subsequent offense and possession of marijuana- third or subsequent offense; Robert R. Kovar, 32, of Jefferson, theft- fourth degree; and Delores Kay Gross, 46, of Churdan, OWI- second offense.
*In entering an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit committing a crime, but believes that given the facts in the county attorney’s information, a jury would find him guilty of the crime.
