Kidnapping Charges Dropped for Basin Resident - No Further Jail Time

  A Snyderville Basin resident, who was arrested last year  on several charges for allegedly victimizing his girlfriend, came to Third District Court last week for sentencing. The ultimate outcome was that 48-year-old Jason Stone pled Guilty to two lesser charges.   He was sentenced to three years of supervised probation. Rick Brough has more.
 
Under the sentence handed down from Judge Patrick Corum July 30th, Stone received no additional time behind bars. Two prison sentences were suspended.  He was given 212 days in the Summit County Jail,  which is the amount of time he has already spent in the county lock-up.
According to the charging documents filed last July, the victim told authorities that she had gone with Stone on a camping trip to Colorado, then had returned with him to his apartment in the Basin.  She said that at various times during that interlude, in late June and early July, he had assaulted her, threatened her, and coerced her to sign a document  taking back her statements about a criminal incident that spring.    The woman said she had escaped  from his apartment in order to notify police.
 
Stone’s defense counsel, Patricia Geary Glenn, noted  in an e-mail to KPCW that the statement of charges was  changed three times in the subsequent months. The motions and documents from  the defense also said, among other things, that the alleged victim’s statements had been contradictory, that her demeanour  when  she contacted  police wasn’t consistent with her story, and   that, for a period of  time this year, the woman refused  to testify at a trial.
 
In the  Plea Agreement reached earlier this year, most of the original charges—including Aggravated Kidnapping, Stalking, and Tampering With a Witness, were dropped.
 
Stone pled to one Count of Aggravated Assault.   Specifically, the plea document statement said  on July 3rd of last year he grabbed the victim by the throat tightly.
 
His other plea was to one Count of Obstructing Justice.   Specifically, said  the document, Stone went out on his driveway, noticed  that deputies had placed a spike strip there  to help apprehend him, and he removed it.
 
The two charges are felonies,  but attorney Glenn said they will be reduced to misdemeanors  if he successfully completes probation.  She said they were also pleased that there will be no federal charges, no charges in Colorado, and a prior Class B Misdemeanor involving the same victim  will be dismissed. The terms of probation also say he is to have no contact, direct or indirect with the  victim.   He has to complete any recommended Mental Health or alcohol treatment. The probation also stipulates Stone  will not frequent places where alcohol is the chief item of sale.  But it says his employment as a bartender is going to be approved.