Assault suspect enters plea

SANDPOINT — A Sagle man accused of threatening two people with a pistol entered a plea to resolve his criminal case, 1st District Court records show.

Brandon Scott Cramer was originally charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of misdemeanor battery in connection with an Oct. 17, 2017, confrontation near Oldtown.

Cramer, 32, entered into a pretrial settlement agreement in which he entered an Alford plea to one count of aggravated assault. Under such a plea, a defendant admits no wrongdoing but concedes a conviction could be obtained if the case went to trial.

In exchange for the pleas, a second aggravated assault count and the misdemeanor battery counts were dismissed. The state also dismissed a sentencing enhancement for using a deadly weapon during the commission of the crime, court records show. The enhancement could have added 15 years to the sentence.

The plea will be regarded no differently than a standard plea of guilt when he is sentenced on May 8. He faces up to five years in prison, although the state has agreed to adopt an Idaho Department of Correction sentence recommendation so long as it does not exceed retained jurisdiction. When jurisdiction is retained, a defendant serves up to a year in prison before becoming eligible for parole.

Judge Fred Gibler released Cramer on his own recognizance while awaiting sentencing, according to court documents.

The case against Cramer emerged last fall, after two people told sheriff’s deputies that Cramer attacked them and threatened them with a pistol. Cramer, according to prior testimony in the case, believed the alleged victims were hiding Cramer’s brother.

Although the case against Cramer is winding down, fallout from the case remains.

The charges against Cramer were dismissed following a preliminary hearing in which several people provided an alibi defense for Cramer, who subsequently disappeared but was apprehended in Montana. Charges against Cramer were re-filed and those who provided the alibi testimony were charged with perjury.

WendyJo Cramer and Steven Craig Walkup were ordered to stand trial on the perjury charges following a preliminary hearing in magistrate court.

Megan Marie Albertson waived her right to a preliminary hearing and was bound over to stand trial in district court.

WendyJo Cramer and Walkup pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to be tried in April, while Albertson, who also entered a not guilty plea, is scheduled to be tried in May.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.